The Guardian's Shield
by Kiizelo
Summary: When a child is taken by the mysterious Trico species he later finds himself stuck in the body of his people's greatest adversary. However, this may be the only opportunity to tear down the Nest from the inside, ending the abductions once and for all.
1. A Recovered Artifact

**Author's Note:** _This is my first ever attempt at writing a FanFiction of my own. This chapter was edited and rewritten on 4-10-18. I'm far happier with this updated version. I hope you enjoy, and stick around as I write this story._

 _Reviews go a long way. I know that better now that I'm actually writing a story. Even if you review as a guest, its greatly appreciated. Enjoy!_

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 **::A Quick Side-note::**

 _::If dialogue is written with a 'colon' (:) instead of 'quotation marks' ("), it means that the dialogue is happening telepathically. Just want to clear that up so nobody gets confused::_

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 **Disclaimer** : _I do not own 'The Last Guardian'_

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Rarely do the days differ from this one. A smile crept over my face as I took in the view of our home, of the Nest. The Sun sat high above and shined directly down on the Valley, blanketing everything in light. It appeared to be void of darkness, of shadows. Absent of al the things one would have used to described this once accursed place. The sight was enough to make me laugh. To think that this place, this Valley, once home to the bane of our existence, was now one of the safest places one could settle in. Even now, after so much time, it was absurd to call it _home_.

It is, however, comforting to know that things can never, and will never, return to the ways of old. Gone were the days of worrying for the safety of our children. Gone were the days of questioning whether we'd be able to fend off an assault from the Trico. This new, peaceful, era was truly something to behold.

My attention shifted from the Valley below, to the Spire that loomed over the Nest. I could feel my smile fade away as the ever present question crossed my mind:

— _Was it worth it?—_

I shook my head at the thought, trying to rid the question from my mind. Doubt would always plague my mind. Despite this peace, a part of me would always be willing to return to the ways of old. How absurd, right? So much had been sacrificed, on both sides, after all. What would those who had made such sacrifices think at my purposterous thought? But more importantly... _what would_ he _think_?

As I stared at the Spire a slow, lumbering movement from atop it caught my eye. It crept close to the Spire's edge and peered down below. Despite the distance I knew he was looking down on the two of us. He stayed that way for a few moments, almost like a statue; unmoving. It wasn't long before he turned, and his form disappeared from view. I couldn't help but wonder his thoughts on all this, and how nice it would be to hear them. The Trico, as a whole, had sacrificed as much as we humans had. But _him_? _That_ particular Trico? He'd sacrificed as much as I had...maybe even more...

... _He'd probably be willing to return to the old ways as quickly as I would. Perhaps if some things we'd lost still remained..._

I shook the thought from my head. It was a pointless thing to ponder. The shield had been lost—the days of openly communicating with the beasts were a thing of the past; similarly to our old way of living.

With some effort I tore my wandering eyes away from the Spire to continue monitoring the Valley's activity from high above. I only made it a few steps closer to the building's edge before a _very_ displeased _growling_ and _grumbling_ came from behind me. The sound was soon replaced by the shuffling of a large body as she made her way over to me. I turned to her, rolling my eyes. How long would she be _this paranoid_ for?

My companion had taken several steps closer to me, fixing me with a _very_ pointed glare. I could only shake my head at her display.

"Oh hush, Tori. Do you _really think_ I'm going to fall again? That only happened once!"

She let out a heavy exhale that was followed by a few sharp chirps and _whines._ The ability to speak to the Trico might've been lost, but after three years amongst them we all learned some of their unspoken words and body language; like the _death glare...which she was fixing me with_.

"Alright, fine." I admitted, throwing my arms up in surrender. "Twice. Twice! But it's not like I'll fall a _third time_!"

She was...less than convinced as she padded over to me, letting out a low moan. I threw my hands out in front of my body, doing my best to keep her at bay. It was useless however. I was cornered now; behind me a rather fatal ledge and in front of me slightly annoyed Trico. There was little I could do to fight her off as she leaned down and grasped the back of my shirt, lifting me from the ground and letting out a chorus of sounds.

I could only imagine what she was saying:

 _—You said the exact-same-thing right before you fell off the building_ the second time!—

I sat there, swaying in the wind and hanging over the edge while a sort of huffing, gurgling laugh escaped her. Her ears suddenly flickered a few times as her head jolted to the side to peer over the ledge. I was about to demand she put me down, or place me on her back when what caught her attention caught mine as well. Below, amongst the Valley's busy endeavors, a small crowd was beginning to for. Both humans and Trico alike were gathering at one of the few tunnels that connect the outside world with the Nest.

I stared down at the forming crowd quizzically. "Think we have new arrivals, Tori? And for Spirits sake, put me down or something!"

Once the Nest had fallen, word spread rather quick. It wasn't long before other villages began requesting to become a part of the Valley. Even now, after three long years, people would come by to request residency. It was understandable however. It was quite the sudden change; suddenly living with our once-feared-enemies.

She gave a snort in reply but didn't react. I couldn't tell if it was in answer to my question, or my demand. We continued to watch the ever-growing crowd form from high above. The majority were clearly gathering around a smaller group that were huddled together, cornered by what appeared to be several young fledglings—likely our new visitors. I squinted, straining my eyes to see further.

In the distance, as difficult as it was to make out, one individual amongst the visiting group was carrying...something. I only knew this because the object would occasionally reflect the Sun's light in our directing, creating a strange sort of green, dazzling gleam. If they'd come brandishing weapons then I'd have to question whether they were brave, or just stupid. We had fought with the Trico for _decades_ after all! I doubted any number of humans would actually take up arms against what were basically now our new allies.

Before long, my people began collectively looking around, as if trying to locate someone, or something. One person glanced above where I was perched— _or hanging_ —before making some kind of a gesture with their arm. Pointing maybe? The rest of the crowed followed the villager's gesture while another mounted their companion and took flight in our direction.

I looked up to Tori and patted the side of whatever part of her I could reach while dangling in mid air. "Ok, Tori. Looks like we have to meet-and-greet. Ya gotta put me down or something." She twisted her head around before dropping me atop her back. As she began to backpedal as the other Trico crested over the building. The Trico reared back in mid flight, beating its wings several times to slow itself, before landing a distance away from us with a loud _THUD_. The beast lowered itself to the ground until it was nearly laying on its stomach as the rider threw himself to the ground. It was a child, who's name escaped me. Too many people had joined us in the Valley to know each and every person on a waltzed over and extended her wing, which I slid down on.

"I suppose they," I gestured off the building we were standing on, "are looking for residence and—"

"N-no," he cut me off. "Well, yes. But I-I don't even know how to say this."

The child, far younger than myself, jogged his way past me to the buildings ledge as his companion followed behind. Tori gave a low, rumbling growl as I approached the edge to stand beside him, but I simply waved a hand at her in dismissal. This seemed important. When we reached the edge, the villager pointed to the crowd down below.

"There's people down there looking to join the Valley...but...well."

I let out a groan. "Just spit it out. Do they come in peace? Are they doing something _stupid_ down there?"

The child shook his head. "I don't know how to say this exactly, Sir. They just want to talk to one of you leaders about becoming part of the Valley. B-but there's a girl down there, a _Marked One_."

I raised my brows at that. While children marked by the Trico were few in numbers, it was pleasant to know they were amongst the few that had nearly been sacrificed their lives saved.

"Yes, and?" I pressed.

He sighed. "The one girl down there, it—it looks like she's carrying the _Guardian's Shield_..."

A long, stretch of silence fell between us. Behind me, Tori and the other Trico seemed to bristle at the mention of the artifact before padding over to us as well. When I'd come to my senses, three emotions rapidly passed through me. First, there was doubt:

It wasn't possible. We'd searched far and wide after the Nest had fallen. We scoured anywhere and everywhere, inside the walls of the Nest and outside them. It wasn't possible! Or perhaps, it was simply...unlikely. The Shield hadn't been destroyed after all.

Then there was anger. I narrowed my eyes at the boy and turned him towards me. He shrank a little once he was facing me.

"How do you _even know_ of the _Guardian's Shield_?" I demanded. "Few know of its existence, and it is _law_ that those who know of it keep it secret!"

His mouth moved up and down a few moments before he finally found his voice. "My—my father heard of it from somebody else, and I overheard him mention it."

I dragged a hand down my face and groaned at his answer. Nobody, _absolutely nobody_ , should be openly speaking of _that_ Shield. It's to be kept secret for reason. Spirits forbid it fell into the wrong hands, or somebody accidentally...

And lastly, I felt fear: A _Marked_ _One_ was in possession of the Shield?! I glanced over the ledge to see the group of newcomers surrounded by a few Trico. I could feel the blood as it drained from my face. "Are they using the Shield, boy? Are they aware of how to use it? or what it can do?" I demanded. He gave me a questioning look, then shook his head.

"I—I didn't even know it could _do anything_. What can it do?"

I continued to stare at the forming crowd of Trico and humans below. If that _wasn't_ the shield, I'd be summoning the entire council of leaders to discuss the importance of the Guardian's Shield remaining secret. But, if that _was the shield_... Spirits forbid it was accidentally used and...I didn't even want to think of that. Especially if the _Marked_ child accidently used it. We already hade quite a few people amongst us that had been Marked _. Spirits forbid it was accidentally used and they were struck by—_

I turned to Tori who was already lowering herself to the ground. She knew of the Shield, of what it could do. Spirits above, a _ll the Trico_ knew what it could do! I climbed aboard and turned to the boy behind me. "Mount your companion and come down there with us. I don't have time to explain." He gave a quick nod before he began climbing his friend. I didn't bother to watch as he climbed up his Trico's leg. Tori had already thrown herself from the building as we made haste towards the crowd below.

* * *

As Tori came in at a rather _steep_ angle for a landing, still a fair distance from the huddled crowd of newcomers, the Marked child and what was hanging from her side were the first two things I noticed first. To both my relief, and horror, it _was_ the Guardian's Shield. Its smaller than average size and odd, green gleam were characteristics of the artifact that I'd never be able to forget.

The girl, who looked no older than ten and four, had the shield hanging from her side. Her eyes, and the eyes of her people, widened at our approach. If not for such a serious moment I would have laughed at their expression. Their reaction was no different from any person seeing a Trico swooping in, or seeing a Trico so close.

As we landed, my people gave us a large birth. They flayed out in several directions until the only once remaining were the rather curious adolescent fledglings and the group of newcomers who had huddled together in a desperate attempt to distance themselves from the curious, young Trico. They had the group cornered while the fledglings, standing about as a fully grown adult, prodded them with their heads, or what looked to be giving the group of strangers a smell.

Tori lowered herself and I slid from her back, raising my hands and clapping a few times to gather everyone's attention; but mostly to gather the fledgling's attention.

"Alright, alright," I yelled, clapping my hands together over my head. "Give em' some space. C'mon, shoo. We don't welcome our guests by scaring them all half to death!" The small beats tilted their heads to the side at my display before some of the adult Trico cantered over and personally removed them. Once the curious animals had cleared out, the crowd seemed to calm quite a bit.

At my approach, a single man stepped free from the crowd. He stood a reasonable distance from me as he bowed low. He was likely the group's leader, or so I assumed. Judging by his curtsy he probably thought of me as the same. The ' _leader.'_ I gave him a laugh, stepping closer to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Welcome," I said. "No need to bow, my friend. I'm no king. My name is _Ueda_ , and I'm only one of the several leaders of the Valley." The man rose from his posture and stood about eye-level with me. I took my hand from his shoulder and extended it in a friendly hand shake, which he gratefully accepted. Occasionally my eyes drifted to the girl, and the shield as the two of us spoke.

"My name is Milosz. We were sent by our village to seek out you, and your Valley." The mans eyes occasionally wandered to the several Trico standing about, all who were eyeing him with curiosity. I caught on to this, and made an effort to calm the already shaken visitor.

"You have no reason to fear the beasts, my friend. That time has long, long since passed us by." I turned towards his small party, raising my voice so to be heard. "You're all safe," I reassured. "They're all just...curious is all." The crowed seemed to relax at that as they studied the Trico with a glint of wonder. Some— _the braver ones that is—_ even outstretched their arms to touch the massive animals who were close by.

"Right," Milosz began. "As I was saying—our village sent myself, and the small party before you, to ask that we join you within the Valley. They didn't want us to all arrive in our numbers and it be mistaken as a sort of threat."

I gave him a nod. He looked worried, as if expecting the answer to be 'no'. "You are all welcome here, so long as you come in peace, and abide by our rules." The man sighed in relief. As I thought, he was half expecting to be turned down. "I could have some of my people show you around the Nest—or as much of it before the Sun falls. The Valley...well, its rather large...as you can see."

Milosz nodded along with the rest of his party, likely finally realizing the sheer scale of the Nest.

With the greetings out of the way, how was I going to bring up the girl amongst his group, and more importantly, the shield she was carrying? None of them seemed particularly interested in her, or the shield. They probably had no idea just _what she was holding_. My dilemma was answered by the child herself when she took matters into her own hands. She approached Milosz and myself, tugging on the man's sleeve.

"Uhm, Milosz?" She asked. "If I may, could I speak with this man for a brief moment?"

He gave her a shrug of his shoulders. "That's fine, Nina. You've come a long way from our village to seek answers to questions I know you have. You'll have to ask Ueda if—"

I waved him off, trying to not come off as disrespectful. "It's fine, my friend. Many people, such as herself, have come here seeking answer to their questions. I have to speak to her about a given matter anyway." Milosz nodded before turning towards his group. They began being lead off to be given a tour of the Nest as several Trico followed behind. This left me with... 'Nina?'

"So, Nina. You have questions for me, and I for you." I stared down at the shield hanging from her side. "I'll begin—how did you come across that shield?"

She looked at her side, detaching the shield and holding offering it to me. I was a bit shocked if I do say so. I wasn't expecting her to give the shield up so suddenly. "I saw you looking at this...thing while you were speaking to Milosz...like you knew what it was, or something. Is it yours?"

I took the shield from her, examining it while she continued. "It was buried a distance from here, in the woods, and covered in a mound of moss. Do you know what it is?"

I looked up at the girl and nodded. "Yes. It's an artifact we thought was lost long ago when the Nest had fallen. Was it doing anything while you were in possession of it?"

She was quick to answer. "Yeah, actually. It was lighting up and creating a sort of signal-beam when I was holding it up in front of myself." I shuddered at that answer. Spirits forbid she had done that while surrounded by so many Trico. Somebody could have been injured, _or worse!_

As we spoke, a crowd was beginning to form, yet again. They all stared at the shield with wonder and curiosity. Some of the onlookers were murmuring, believing that the girl might be delusional at her claims of it creating runes. Few truly knew of this shield, or what it was capable of. All around me, my people, including Nina, looked to me hoping for some sort of an explanation. Nina still had questions of her own, likely pertaining to her black markings— _as all Marked Ones came here seeking answers to them_.

I let out a sigh. I could hardly believe I was holding this Shield again. The very item that caused me, and Toriko so many problems. It was, finally, in safe hands once again. He'd want to know of it being found. I think he'd actually _eat me_ if I kept this from him!

I turned to Nina, and then to the crowd of several dozen onlookers. "This was the _Last Guardian's_ shield." I said plaintively, slowing beginning to recall past events that I wished could be forgotten. I turned towards the white Spire that towered over the Valley in its entirety, raising the shield and taking aim at the antenna that towered above the Spire itself. I was _mostly_ sure that this was safe to do. By all accounts, the Spire's antenna was basically a massive lightning rod. There were _plenty_ of other ways to get his attention— _like simply flying up there—_ but this would make for a good laugh.

As a vivid, cyan colored beam of light left the surface of the shield, the crowed gasped. I held my arm as steady as I could, all I needed to do was have the light rest on the Spire's antenna for a moment before —

Then, from atop the white tower, a vibrant, pinkish-red bolt of lightning seemed to leap from the roof of the Spire. It arched up, splitting the air with a thunderous _crack_ before slamming halfway up the length of the Spire's antenna. Even as far away as I was, the remnants of the lightning was visible, crackling off the structure. The crowd surrounding me reacted as I expected them to. Some screamed, some backed away, and others were simply speechless.

From atop the White Spire, the from of a Trico appeared as it peered down below at us— _mostly at me I was sure_. I grinned. His body disappeared briefly, but his entire form reappeared when the threw himself from the tower and began plummeting towards the Earth like a stone.

I turned to address the crowd who had gone dead silent. "This shield was used for a multitude of things long, long ago. It was also something that lead to the fall of the Nest."

He delayed opening his wings for so long that I actually thought he would fail to stop his descent. Finally, his wings opened with a _whoosh._ The sound of his wings catching the air was audible, even from our distance. The beast glided the rest of the way down, then landed so forcefully that the very ground beneath him splintered and cracked. He landed well enough considering he was missing half his tail for balance, and most of his right paw. While all the Trico's looked similar to one another— _be they male or female—his wounds_ were what set him apart from the others. For him, and myself, they served as memories.

The crowd that had formed were quick to scatter at his approach. Tori, who had remained as silent as a field mouse until this moment, trotted over to him, chirping and crooning several different notes. His one remaining right eye was plastered to the object I held, his left eye lost. A large scar ran from his forehead, across what was once his left eye and ended at his left cheek.

His expression was similar to my own once I head the Guardian's Shield might have been recovered; slack-jawed, disbelief written across his features. The only indication that he was listening to his Nest-mate was the occasional flicker of his ears at her noise. No doubt he was reliving the memories brought on by this Shield, as simple of an object as it appeared. It was the _very thing_ that started all of, and he had far more memories linked to this shield than I ever could.

With each timid step he took towards me, his features grew sad I met him half way and aimed the shield just off the left of his head. By no means were we enemies. Not any more at least. My very presents I knew was uncomfortable to him. Perhaps I looked similar to _him._ To my son...to his friend.

I aimed the shield just off to the right side of his head. The focused stream of light left the shield, and I let its light drag across his face. His eyes briefly flickered between a few colors and his horns released several cyan rings, which told me the link had been established. He visibly swallowed once before his words filled my mind.

::U-Ueda? Can you understand me? H-how in the name of the Sky did you find the Shield?:: He sounded as happy as he did hurt at the very mention of the artifact.

I lowered the shield, absently scratching the back of my head. I turned towards Nina and waved her over to stand beside me. She deserved the credit for having found it. She looked to me and Toriko before carefully making her way over to stand beside me. I placed a hand on her shoulder, gesturing towards her with my head.

"You have this girl to thank for that, Toriko. She found it in her travels to the Nest. It was thanks to her that it was recovered."

He lowered himself to take a glance at the child standing at my side, letting out a small huff. She stiffened a bit at his close proximity. ::A _Marked One?_ Thank her for me, Ueda. She has no idea what recovering that shield means to the other _Servan_ —to the other Trico. More importantly; its importance for the two of us::

His features changed a bit at its usefulness to us. I didn't have a chance to reply when Nina tugged on the side of my robe. "I-is he...are you two speaking to each other?" She was shocked by the revelation, likely unaware that it was the shield's doing. The crowd began to reform around myself, and around Toriko. There were whispers and murmurs that it couldn't be possible. Some had put the correlation of the Shield's sudden appearance and my speaking to him and answering him. Others thought it was anything but the simple metal shield.

Finally, once of the Nest's occupants spoke out. And soon after it was followed by a question by another once, and another, and so forth.

"Are you actually speaking to him with the shield?"

"Don't be purposterous! A simple shield can't do such a thing."

"Did that shield make Toriko fire off a bolt of lightning? Half his tail is _missing_!"

"What in the Seven Spirits is going on!"

I turned to them, raising a hand to stop their incessant questioning. With how big a spectacle was made, word would travel fast, and it was ok if it did now. They all looked to me with expectation. I didn't want to answer their questions, to tell the story. To relive it. To be reminded of everything. Of the abductions. Of the fighting and sacrifices... of my Son...

... _My son..._

I fought back a tear at the onslaught of memories, and felt Toriko nudge my left side.

::Ueda..?:: He pressed. ::If it's still hard on you, then maybe I could tell them the story? With the shield, we Servan—uh, Toriko, can communicate with you humans::

I gave him a pat on his nose. "It's ok, Toriko. I-I think I'll be alright." I assured him. "...And I think _he would want_ me, or us, to tell his story."

Toriko gave me a nuzzle with his large head and settled back on his haunches. ::I agree. But don't let the burden of doing so lie solely on your shoulders. Isn't that what you once told me?:: I gave him a meaningful smile and turned back to the crowed to address them.

"Very well." I said. "All your questions; the shield, the Valley, the Marked Ones... all of it can be answered with a story. But I'll have to start from the beginning. And it all begins with my Son."

... _My son..._

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 **Author's Note 2:** _If you're re-reading Chapter 1 after its update, I hope it was better than it was previously. God, I thought it was in desperate need of a few fixes. If you just came across this story and made it to the end, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of the story._

 _Next chapter is when this story truly begins._


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note** : _It took a month but here it is. I hope you don't mind long chapters because this one came out to over 10,120~ words. Hopefully this long chapter doesn't act as a deterrent._

 _This story takes place in the past and is told from the POV of the characters involved long before the events of the first chapter_.

 **Disclaimer:** _I do not own 'The Last Guardian'_.

* * *

 _Three years prior_

::The Boy::

A sharp breeze swept over my body, making me stir.

The wildlife was alive as ever; crickets chirping, owls hooting. In the distance I could make out wolfs—or maybe coyotes—singing to the moon.

The soggy ground had a rich, earthy smell to it after a recent storm.

... _Why am I outside_?

I cracked open my left eye and, sure enough—I let out a long, drawn out sigh—, I was outside. " _How did I get here_?" I asked nobody in general. I racked my mind for answers, wondering how I found myself here. I couldn't recall settling down outside in the first place, or why I'd even consider it. A prank by the other kids, perhaps? Sometimes, during sleepovers, we'd pull a harmless prank on whoever would be foolish enough to be the first to fall asleep. But even still, no 'sleepover' came to mind, and being dumped outside on a rather colder-than-usual night seemed a bit cruel.

With a grunt I pressed myself up to a sitting position, taking in my surroundings. It was the dead of night. The moon hung overhead, looming above the buildings to the north. The moon cast the surrounding area in a soft, white-blue hue. Any other time, it would make for quite the pleasant sight.

The village was but a large clearing surrounded by dense forest. The clearing itself could best be described as a large oval, set lengthwise. To the north sat my village's homes and dwellings. To the east and west were the farmlands, letting the crops get as much sunlight as possible, and to the south were the animal pastures.

I was at the center of this expanse.

I stood and immediately felt ripples of pins and needles through my legs. _How long have I been out here_? I lowered myself to one knee, rubbing the feeling back to my legs as I regarded my surroundings. I wasn't the only one outside, despite it being some time before the sun return to the sky. Straining my eyes I could see the soft glow of torches as they bobbed up and down, held by though late patrolling villagers.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. This late at night was when we did have some of our most... _unwelcome_ guests, and the nightly patrolling villagers kept most of them at bay. Bears, wolfs, big-cats, Tric—.

—Oh no...

 _I need to get back home, now_! I stood, ignoring the persistent feeling of pin-pricks through my legs and hastily made my way back home.

The Tricos—how had this only _just_ occurred to me?—began reappearing after what seemed like a couple of years. We thought they finally left our village alone, but we couldn't have been more wrong. When they made their return it was as if they were just continuing where they left off, like they were only giving us a moments reprieve. Once again—like years before—they'd come during the dead of night, a night similar to this, to take children who haven't reached their _namedate_ ; the day when kids finally receive a name.

It's thought that naming a child before they come of age brings with it unwanted attention from the spirits above, along with poor luck. A _whole_ , _heaping_ amount of good it seems to do. Apparently, being taken away by those cursed Trico isn't considered ' _poor luck_ ' seeing as they only take kids who haven't been named. Just three weeks ago I watched as...

The face of the dark haired, grey eyed, girl flashed in my minds eye, but I quickly cast the thought aside. I didn't want to think of it. Not now. Not ever.

I quicken my pace as I drew closer to the buildings. A sense of security began welling up inside of me. I still couldn't understand how I got outside in the first place, but the thought was also cast aside. I would think about it in the morning.

As I neared our village's buildings I saw a patrolling villager walking towards me. ' _Great_ ,' I thought. I'd be question for being outside this late, then dragged to my father to be reprimanded. The thought to run and hide crossed my mind—but if I were caught doing _that_ it could lead to more problems. With my father being the village's shaman, and myself being his son, doing such a thing could affect him more than myself.

I chose to make my way towards him. He had already taken notice of me and began sauntering in my direction. He was a dozen strides away when I greeted him with cheerful 'Hello' and a rather sheepish wave. I expected, at the very least, to be questioned. What I wasn't expecting was for him to pass me by with little more than a second hand glance.

That was it? No questioning or reprimand? He continued past me, not even looking back, as I stood there, perplexed. I turned, preparing to follow him, when something caught my attention to my left. It was nothing unusual, however. Just a large, two story dwelling that I had walked past almost as many times as I had entered. The building looked positively desolate—except for the light protruding from the shutters of the second floor. It was a faint light, perhaps a candle light, that flickered oddly, like a light-up bug.

 _A light_? _Why is there a light on_? _And who would be awake at this hour_?

There could be a number of reasons. I was outside, awake, during the dead of night. Whatever reason the person had for being awake most likely made more sense than myself being awake.

I soon found myself craning my neck up, looking at the window. I hadn't realized my legs carried me over to the door. There was something strange about the light, now that I was so close. It didn't flicker softly like a candle did. It was rapid, like when wind whips at a fire pit, and the fire struggles to stay alight.

I approached the door, placing my one hand on it. I felt my chest tighten with anxiety—as if my body was trying to disagree with my action. I took one deep breath to gather myself, then pushed open the door.

* * *

The inside of the building was dark. There were no signs that anybody was awake on the first floor. It was eerily silent as well. Off to my right was a flight of stairs leading to the second floor. The lights seem to be coming from behind a door the top the stairs—no doubt the same light I had seen outside. Hesitantly, I made my way up the wooden stairs—they gave off loud creeks and squeaks as I climbed, the sound bouncing around throughout the house.

I made an effort to remain as quiet as possible. What would happen if this was all for nothing, and I was caught breaking and entering? If I was caught this would only be one more thing to throw on the ever growing pile of mistakes I was making tonight.

Finally I was atop the stairs. Before me lay the door, the same strange light protruding out of the cracks. The light wasn't a soft orange glow, but instead a strange light-crimson color, a color that I had only ever seen as the sun fell beyond the horizon.

Worry and anxiety began bubbling in my stomach, and suddenly I felt terrified that what lay beyond the door. With one last breath to steady myself, another unsteady exhale, I brought all my courage to the forefront of my being, and pulled open the door, stepping into the room.

My earlier mentioned courage found a nice little corner and died in it...

The room was nearly as empty as the rest of the building... _nearly_. There should have been people up here, sleeping, but instead there was only a single child, along with something that made my blood run cold.

The child—a boy, from the looks of it—stood facing forward with his back turned to me. He was transfixed by the intruder, who's body was protruding through the shutters. It was colossal. It's head—the only part of it visible—was clad in gray, battle-worn armor, giving it only two visible features—

Two cyan colored horns jutted out of its crown. The horns had a bizarre glow to them, as if they were radiating some kind of energy. But it's eye's... they were flickering between white and that crimson color in a strange hypnotic fashion.

 _A Trico. But how!?_ It couldn't have gotten here completely unnoticed! I was just staring up at that window from outside only a minute ago!

The Trico was focused on the boy and both of us were staring back at the Trico, completely transfixed. I felt my legs begin moving, and could see that the child was beginning to walk forward as well. My outstretched arm soon left the door, returning to my side... and then everything just got worse.

The door I was holding ajar closed with a loud, echoing **slam**. The sharp sound snapped me out of whatever trance I was in—even while In that state of mind I knew exactly what Just occurred. Both the Trico in the boy heard the slam of the door—the only sound in an otherwise mute room. The Trico's attention didn't snap to my location as I would have expected it to. Instead, it remained motionless as its eyes slowly drifted to my location. When the creature's eyes finally met mine the boy had also turned around.

It was... **ME**!?

The child was me! But I was here! How could I be there when I was standing right **here**!?

All my rationality died. I stared at the boy, my mouth agape. The boy's eyes, my eye's, looked no different than the Trico's. They were large, crimson color orbs.

The Trico turned towards my doppelgänger and gave a loud huff. Like taking an unspoken order my doppelgänger began sprinting towards me. He was several strides in when he suddenly shape-shifted in to some sort of large, feral creature. Everything; the creature, myself, even time seemed to slow as I watch it barreling towards me while I stood there, like a terrified, helpless, useless fawn.

I didn't even try to stop it, I didn't even try to save myself, just like how I didn't try to save that grey-eyed Girl from the Trico.

:: _Get up_!::

I was as useless now as when I was then; watching her reach for me—for my help—and I instead stood there, not even lifting a finger as she was dragged away and swallowed.

:: _Come on_!::

The creature was taking up myentire field of vision when it made it's final lunge towards me. I close my eyes, accepting whatever would come next. If I didn't even try to save her, why should I even save myself?

:: _Wake up_!::

* * *

Being _violently_ shaken back to reality is about as pleasant as stubbing your toe while in a full sprint. But it might have been the only time I appreciated the rude awakening. The dream, which I was beginning to forget so suddenly, had to have been one of the most disturbing and vivid dreams, if not the _most_ disturbing dream I could recall.

"I'm awake!" I cried out.

My father had a firm hold on my shoulders. If I was unsure how... durable my body was before, it was clear just how much so it was, with my head not being shaken off.

He let out a relieved sigh and released me, taking a step back. "If it wasn't for you contorting your face during the whole ordeal anybody could have mistaken you for dead." He shook his head. "At first, I thought you were just being stubborn—pretending. Were you dreaming, or something?"

Even now, despite having just been woken from the nightmare, bits and pieces of the dream were falling away from me. I could only clearly recall ascending the stairs of the building. Everything before that—a fading memory. Like my mind was a slate being washed clean.

"Yeah," I answered, gettin out of bed. I was sure there was work to be done in our village, so I began telling the story while running back and forth in my room, dressing and readying myself for the day.

"I can't remember the entire dream. I was out late... and there was a building with a light..."

I paused before continuing. With my father being the Shaman of the village, dreams were more to him than unconscious thoughts. I almost didn't want his input on it's meaning.

"At the top was a Trico, taking somebody. Except that 'somebody' was me. And when I was caught watching my other self changed into some creature and attacked me."

My father said nothing while I gave him my less-than-detailed retelling of the dream. He simply stroked his black beard while watching me run back and forth, occasionally stepping out of the way as I gathered my belongings.

There was a long silence while he thought before he finally spoke.

"It sounds like survival guilt," he said.

I felt my shoulders sag a little bit, but said nothing. He took that as his cue to continue.

"The Trico taking, well, you—doesn't that seem like an; ' _It should have been me, and not you_ ' sort of comparison?"

I gave him a small grunt in agreement. I didn't really have to be told. I already knew it to be true.

"And you ' _changing_ ' into a creature and attacking ' _yourself_ '," he continued. "You're attacking yourself. You're placing all the blame on yourself."

"How _cant_ I put the blame on myself? I was right _there_ when it happened!" I question, lowering my head to look at the floor. "If I—if I had done something, _anything_ , maybe she—"

"And _that's_ where you're wrong, Son." He said, cutting me off. "There was little you— _a child_ —could have done when we—adults—failed to prevent what happened. You weren't expected to fight off a beast weighing hundreds, upon hundreds of stones." He said in a soft tone, placing emphasis on how outmatched I would have been.

"Yeah... I know I couldn't have fought off a Trico." I agreed lamely. "But if I had done something, _anything_ , I don't think I'd be feeling this way."

I heard him walking towards me. I lifted my gaze from the floor to meet his eyes when I felt him put a hand on my shoulder.

"The unfortunate thing about all this is that you _witnessed_ it happen. Even if you tried to prevent it; it was inevitable. You'd still feel the same as you do now, except for a different reason. You'd feel guilty for failing her, instead of failing to act."

I rolled that over in my head for a few seconds. I suppose it was true, but it didn't make it any easier to swallow. No matter what I did I would still feel this way, only for a different reason. If I _had_ grabbed her I would have either lost my grip on the spot or been dragged out with her—losing my grip then.

I deflated a bit at the revelation. Not out of defeat, but instead, out of acceptance.

"Just let it go, Son." My father continued. "One of the hardest lessons to learn is that some things are outside our contr—"

There were a couple of loud— _knocks_ —at the door which couldn't have come at a better time. I appreciated what my Dad was doing, but the entire thing was so exhausting, even to talk about. He gave me a pat on my shoulder and turned to make for the door. I think he was a little relieved for the interruption as well.

I heard him speaking to somebody, but couldn't see _who_. My father was blocking whoever it was from my view, which told me it must have been somebody young. He finally stepped aside, letting the person enter who turned out to be one of my older friends. Before I could question his visit the answer struck me; today was his nameday!

"Oh, hey!" I called to him. "Are you going around bragging that you have a name now?" I asked cheekily.

"Of course I am!" "He answered, clearly happy about the day. "And if you didn't sleep in today I wouldn't have to come here to tell you."

I shrugged. "Yeah, I slept in. But who cares about that, what did you choose?" This truly was a perfect distraction. The dream, talk, and my guilt slowly began taking a backseat in my mind instead of being a heavy stone resting on my shoulders.

He paused for several long seconds to build suspense—or to tease me. It was likely the latter. "Koma." He finally said, crossing his arms and holding his head up high. In reality, somebody could choose the most common name amongst names and still be proud of it. We had to wait _such_ a long time to simply _receive_ a name that getting any name was a honor.

I ground. "You're lucky." I said. "I can't wait to get a name. I'm tired of being called ' _Ueda's Son_ ' or ' _Shaman's Son_ '."

"Hey!" My father called, chiming in to the conversation and trying to sound hurt, but failing at it. "You're lucky. I'm the only Shaman in the village. You _practically_ have a name already. Just imagine being called ' _The Boy,_ ' for example. We already have _so_ many male children in the village—"

"He's right." Koma said, putting a hand to his chin in thought. At least your alias is _completely_ different. Anyway, I'm having a party later tonight. It's probably going to be a sleepover too. You should come. I have a good idea for a prank to pull on some of the others, and I'll need your help."

I grinned at that. Pranking the first few to fall asleep is always fun. I turned to my Father, but he waved it off. "You can go. Enjoy yourself while you're there."

"Thanks!" I said, bowing my head to him slightly. I walked past my Father and continued out the door with Koma, who told me he was heading off to do his duties for the day. I would have to see the Village's Chief to get my own assignments for the day.

At least there would be something to look forward to later tonight.

* * *

::The Servant::

'Two weeks...' I thought, rolling over on my back and letting the Sun's warmth get to my stomach. 'Two weeks and I still haven't been summoned...'

I cracked open an eye and looked in the direction of the Nest. For two weeks I watched as my fellow Nestmates were selected by the Master to seek out sacrifices, leaving me behind to do about as much as I'm doing now.

It wasn't all bad, I suppose. Rarely do you leave one of those human Nests unharmed, so this was an opportunity to let wounds from my previous offering heal. Even with the added protection of the armor those creatures manage to get lucky with those sharp, pointy throwing sticks or those even stranger, albeit smaller, sticks they fire off at you. It's surprising how damaging such a primitive weapon can be!

I rolled over and stood, stretching out my hindlegs and arching my back until I felt a satisfying—POP—come from my spine. This waiting game was slowly driving me to insanity. I couldn't think of anything I'd like more then to be selected. So much of my—of Our—self-worth was based upon serving The Master—our Master. After all; what's a Servant if they're not serving? Is there even a word for such a thing? I felt the sudden onset of pain beginning at the base of my horns that slowly crept its way into my skull. The very notion of not serving the Master brought forth a sort of confusion and pain. I shook my head, trying to alleviate the pain and rid myself of the very thought.

Maybe some things just aren't worth pondering...

I understand why our Master can't send us all out for sacrifices. While it would be most beneficial to him, to send us all out would decimate the Human population. And without the Human whelps, what would we offer? We tried animals of all different species, but animals are lacking in something that humans have—whatever that 'something' is.

Just then, the bushes, somewhere around me, began to rustle. My ears swiveled about on instinct; trying to find the exact location the sound was originating from, along with what might've produced it. When I turned in its direction I watched as a large deer poked its head out from the tree line, disturbing a large bush.

'This is excellent timing,' I thought, crouching low. I hadn't eaten, and even though the Master rewards us Servants with those barrels they won't satiate actual hunger.

The deer broke through the safety of the tree line and out into the clearing, smelling the air and moving its ears about. I was lucky enough to be downwind, which was likely the reason it hadn't sensed my presence. It was close enough that my tail could reach it. Just as I raised my appendage, the animal turned and caught sight of me. Instead of running, it froze, like a startled fawn. I lashed my tail out, clipping the creatures legs. It spun about in midair momentarily before coming down hard.

I was on it in seconds. I brought my right paw down and extended my three talons, creating a sort of cage around it. It thrashed, trying to break free, but it was useless. I felt pity as I look down on him. He was a caged animal at this point. I wondered how it must feel; being caged, controlled, helpless. I was about to bear my weight down on it when—

—the unmistakable sound of the Master's siren went off! The sudden sound caught me so offguard that I jumped, letting out a shrill—YELP—and released the animal. I watched as it bolted off into the woods. I growled, both out of anger and embarrassment. I was glad there were no Servants around to witness that pitiful cry I produced.

I lowered my head and close my eyes, hoping for the Master to reach out to me, to tell me I was needed, that I had been requested. I felt the siren's wave of energy wash over me, resonating with my horns—and then felt a smile spread across my muzzle.

* * *

It was nearing dusk when we—the selected Servants—had the Knights armor us before setting off in separate directions. I sat near the edge of the Master's Spire and watched as the Sun slowly fell beyond the horizon. Behind me I could hear the arrival of my fellow Servants as they landed more near the Spire's center.

There was the sound of approaching steps behind me, but I didn't turn around. I just continued watching the Sun disappear behind the Nest's great wall. From my peripheral I watched as a fellow Servant padded over to the Spire's edge and sat down next to me on their haunches.

"Finally selected I see. Where is he sending you?" She asked.

This was about as deep of a conversation Servants have with each other. It's not that we disliked each other, or each other's company—it just wasn't priority. The Master was priority; an insightful conversation between Servants? Not so much.

"Yes," I answered, turning my head towards her. "And he's sending me to the human Nest you nearly botched three weeks ago." The remark was meant to be teasing, but came off as mocking. Why were such simple conversation so uncomfortable?

Her ears lowered a bit, and she covered her shame with a nervous laugh. "Yeah... that one went... poorly. If you're going there I'd suggest landing in the woods and sneaking in, as I should've done."

I'd have to consider that line of approach. While I was never sent to this particular village, one other Servant had been sent there for an offering after the Master decided we'd given them enough time to replenish their young. His story was similar to her's; a frontal approach nearly failing because of how this particular village's dens hugged the tree line.

I thanked her, but before our conversation could continue—which I was partially grateful the uncomfortable exchange didn't—the siren went off behind us. It was the 'send-off' signal. The signal to take flight.

I rose on all four and immediately felt my leg strain under the added weight of the armor. This worried me. It was difficult enough to be stealthy with how large we were, but the armor's weight could sometimes impede more than protect. I walked around a bit, trying to adjust to the extra burden, while the earlier mention Servant gave me an amused stare.

"What? I haven't worn armor in weeks!" I defended. She rose up effortlessly—how annoying—and cantered past me, brushing against my flank. She was trying to stifle a giggle but was failing.

"Oh, no need to be so sensitive, fellow Servant." She said, unfurling her wings and beating the air once to produce a small gust in my direction. The gust had enough force behind it to disturb whatever feathers were not covered by armor. I had a lingering suspicion she was teasing me. "He's sending me to a human Nest southeast of your Nest." She informed me with a smile. "I'll fly with you—and I'll even catch you if your wings can't support your newly added weight."

'Great, she's going to tag along and the flight will be filled with even more awkward conversation.'

I unfurled my own wings and paced back over to the Spire's ledge. I gave her an amused laugh and peered out to where the sun was. "I'm not going to fall," I told her, "and I'll fly at a lazy pace so you don't fall behind."

I took a few steps back and prepare a running leap off the spire when she rushed past me, practically knocking me off kilter as she took to the skies.

I just shook my head, no expression on my face. Why didn't I just tell her 'No'? I suppose part of me was grateful for the company...

I spread my own wings and leapt off the tower. If she flew too far ahead I'm sure she'd hunt me down every day to remind me of it.

* * *

My accompanied flight wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. It initially began with nothing more than small-talk that slowly subsided the closer we got to our respective destinations. Overall; it was a good distraction. She eventually departed, leaving me to my own thoughts.

We spoke of the human Nest I was in route to, and what she encountered upon arriving there during her last intrusion. This particular human Nest was only engaged twice—this time making for a third—since giving them a prolonged reprieve from our assaults. These humans had taken up to nightly patrols after the very first attack, and with how their Nest was oriented; a frontal assault was almost impossible without being spotted. I finally reached their Nest—doing a fly-by—and, sure enough, she wasn't exaggerating.

There dens were right up against the tree line. Down below I could see the flicker of sticks set ablaze by the earlier mentioned patrolling humans. They didn't take many precautions, but enough to make my job harder.

When I was above the tree line I began losing altitude, going in for a quiet landing a reasonable distance from the Nest. My wings were throbbing when I finally landed. At this point I knew I should've gotten familiar with the added weight of my armor.

The woods were dark as pitch, even with how well my eyes were in the dark. It was reassuring though. If these woods were this dark then their Nest would be about the same. Those flaming sticks can only produce so much light after all! I took my time as I went on, quietly weaving between trees as I made my way through the dense foliage. When I finally reach the tree line I poked my head out to examined the Nest and laughed.

They had plenty of humans patrolling the open field, in front of their dens, but not a single human could be seen where I was. Are humans really this stupid? I brushed the thought away to focus on my task. There were no lights coming from the inside of the structures, and there was a faint scent of human in the air.

'If the scent was noticeable from this distance then there must be a gathering nearby.' I surmised.

I left the safety of the woods, occasionally smelling the air, as I snuck towards the structures. The human sent began to grow, and in front of me was a rather tall den; even taller than myself standing upright.

'This is it' I thought, positioning myself right next to the structure and rising on my hind legs with my forepaws planted against it for balance. I was standing nearly upright when a window, covered by a shutter, was at my level. I ever so gently nosed it, and it open with a soft—SQUEAK—before revealing the interior.

The sight made my mouth fall open a little in delight.

There were at least a dozen human whelps, all sound asleep. Humans must be stupider beyond my comprehension! They know we Servants have began targeting them again, why in the Master's name would they gather like this? My eyes widened when I noticed a small human male sleeping in front of the window, away from the others. He would be within reaching distance with a little...'persuasion'. All I would have to do is stick my head in and slightly extend my neck.

That was it. I was convinced this would be a success. No fighting, no injuries—just a simple 'grab and go.'

* * *

::The Boy::

Koma, Lia, and myself made our way back to his home where most of the others were, most of them being asleep. Except for the three of us. Our return from the water well took a fair bit of sneaking to avoid being seen out so late, but Koma was determined to go through with his 'prank'.

He mentioned his idea for a prank when we met up earlier, and that Lia knew about it and would be coming along to help us. I wasn't sure how true that was. The only person doing 'work' was me.

I stared down at the bucket of water I was carrying and frowned. This seemed a bit too cruel to be a 'prank'. Pranks are supposed to be innocent fun; knocking on a door and running away, scaring somebody, or maybe fooling somebody.

But...this?

I wasn't too worried however. I was pretty confident that this wouldn't work, and that everybody, or whoever he was doing this to, would wake up.

We reached the front door to his house and Koma turned to me, taking the bucket.

"Both of you know what to do, right?" Koma whispered as he slowly pushed open the door.

Lia nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I'll hold the candle, the Shaman's Son will get the door, and you'll put their hands in the water."

"Are you sure this is going to work?" I asked skeptically. "I thought the water is supposed to be warm, not cold. And how is this a prank. It's seems...I don't know, a little mean-spirited."

He opened the door and Lia crept in. "There should be a lit candle in the main room, Lia. Above the candle should be cabinets with bowls inside. Make sure you grab two or three of them as well." She nodded and disappeared into the house. I guess there was more to this plan than just me carrying around a bucket of water.

"And, yes. It'll work." He said with confidence. "You just put their hands in cold water while they're asleep and... and, well that's really all you do."

"Ok, but this is wrong," I argued. "Who do you hate enough to do...to do this to anyway?"

"I don't hate anybody. And stop worrying so much. We'll just put their hands in the water and pretend to be sleeping. What can go wrong?"

I gave him an unconvinced look. "I hope so, because if this doesn't work, and they wake up—"

"Got the stuff!" Lia whispered, walking back with a small, lit candle and a few clay bowls.

"Good, lets get going then." Koma said, taking the lead and making his way to the stairs. It seemed pointless to try to convince him of the flaw of this plan, so I decided to follow along. I'd just 'pretend' to be asleep before Koma, and he could take the blame for his own failed prank.

I took the lead as I made my way up the stairs when I felt I had been here before. A sort of worry began welling in me. I knew why. That dream...Koma's home was so similar to that house in my dream. It was as if I was going through the entire thing again. I tried to keep my mind off it throughout the course of the day; between chores and the party earlier. Keeping my mind occupied helped but the dream still stuck with me a majority of the day.

I passed Koma and took the lead with Lia close behind providing a bit of light. When we finally reached the door I reached out and placed a hand on it... and froze.

"What's wrong?" Lia asked.

"N-nothing. " I said. "I-it's nothing."

I slowly pushed open the door and nearly dropped the bucket of water at the sight.

* * *

::The Servant::

The small human was standing upright, her eyes a luminous crimson red, and had walked close enough for me to reach in and grab her when the sound of a door opening echoed throughout the small room. I tore my gaze away from the human but maintained peripheral eye contact to ensure I wouldn't lose my partial control over her. My eyes drifted onto the last thing I wanted to see.

Another human.

One became two, then two became three as they filtered into the room, freezing at the sight of me. We all stared at each other. Nobody moved... I didn't...they didn't...my sacrifice was still under my control but I could feel it beginning to falter with my attention in so many different places. We stayed like that for longer than I was comfortable with. I was about to act when the first child who had entered the room ran forward. He shouted something in his tongue, then threw something—a contraption holding water?—at me that made contact with my snout. I shut my eyes on instinct at my nose being struck and scolded myself for that. I knew I lost my control over the human child. I could feel the connection break.

My influence on it was lost as soon as I broke eye contact, and within moments the entire room's occupants were creating enough noise to rouse the entire Nest of humans. They all scurried to the corner of the room like frightened animals when another human entered the room. An adult human—wielding one of those sharp sticks.

Oh, fantastic!

He shouted several things in his tongue and heaved the object in my direction—and it struck true. It embedded itself deep in me, right under my left ear. I YELPED at the sudden pain, loud enough to wake the dead, and immediately began pulling my head out of the window when I realized something horrible—

—I was stuck... Could this possibly get worse?

I was clumsily trying to pull myself free when another shooting pain registered; this one embedding itself deep in my exposed neck. I panicked, and suddenly decided if I couldn't get out, then I'd go in.

I forced my front legs through the side of the den from outside and propped my hind-legs up against the outside, forcing myself up and inside the structure. Unsurprisingly, it couldn't support my weight, much less the weight my armor added. I wasn't even halfway in when everything began looking crooked as the den tilted forward and came down hard.

Somehow things could get worse! If these humans were unaware of my presence in their Nest they certainly were now.

I fell forward with the den and watched as it collapsed around me. I had stuffed myself inside enough during my panic that the humans, previously huddled in the corner, were nearly underneath me. The building had collapsed, but my body prevented any debris from crushing them.

The sense of falling finally ended and I rose to my legs and charged out of the collapsed structure. I ran and weaved between the many dens until it opened up into a large, open expanse.

I went the wrong way?! I should have turned and ran off into the forest instead. Instead I charged forward like an adolescent Servant!

Humans were filtering out of their dens at a rapid rate. In moments a large party was both in front of me and behind me. I briefly noticed their weapons before they were being fired or thrown at me. Half their attempts failed, reflecting off my armor, while the other half found purchase. Several pierced my exposed side. A few more embedded themselves in my neck, and I felt another lodge itself inside my right wing.

I had to leave! This was a failure, and there was no salvaging it. I turned and prepared to run in the opposite direction, back into the woods a distance behind me. Already there were too many humans in the open field, and if I charged past them I risked their weapons striking a wing again. My right wing was already in excruciating pain. The flight back would likely be difficult. I had to run into the woods where I landed. They wouldn't be able to navigate through them with how dark it was. It was my only escape!

I turned the opposite direction, rushing back towards the collapsed den while feeling the sharp pain of more of their weapons embedding themselves in me.

When I came to the destroyed structure I slowed, noticing one very particular human dragging himself out of the rubble.

I grinned. If taking another throwing object to my side was the price to pay for taking that human; then it was worth it.

It was the same damned human who had caused this entire thing to fall apart. The 'Hero' who had interfered and attacked me.

This would be so fitting for the whelp. If he wanted to play the 'Hero' then I'd help him die one as well.

* * *

::The Boy::

I began dragging myself out of my friend's collapsed home. This was nothing like my dream. It was WORSE. I felt fortunate to still be alive though. I looked behind me to see several other kids being pulled out by others, or running off in the panic. My hearing seemed muffled, almost like I was underwater. There was only one voice that seemed to reach out to me; my father's.

He caught sight of me and began running over. He seemed worried about something however. He was glancing to the left and then back to me in a frantic manner. I was so confused. His footsteps seemed so much louder than they should be. And the steps seemed to come in pairs of four instead of two.

I dragged myself the rest of the way out and glanced down at my body. My cloths were torn from pulling myself out and there was a surprising amount of blood on them too. My arms and legs were pretty cut up.

I looked back towards my dad who was still hurriedly making his way towards me. I could occasionally make out the words "NO" and "RUN". It still didn't make sense.

And then I turned.

To my left a large, armored Trico was barreling towards me. I only had moments to comprehend what was happening—or what was going to happen. It lowered its head close to the ground while in a full sprint and suddenly opened its mouth.

Then there was perpetual darkness.

* * *

I was awake, but felt sound asleep. Simultaneously conscious, and unaware. If my eyes were open I couldn't tell. There felt to be a vast, endless amount of nothingness surrounding me. But I could still feel...

There was a continual sensation of falling, and then it would stop, only to begin once again. It was like dropping out of a tree, or cliff jumping; that momentary feeling of weightlessness that makes your stomach flutter. I wondered; 'Maybe this is what birds feel as they fly?'

I could feel a bazar, invading sensation begin to spread throughout my body. It began at the center of my chest and slowly spread. It crept up my arms and legs, it spread across my chest and neck. I could feel it sapping away what little energy I had to spare. It left me with only one desire—

—sleep.

* * *

A warm, odd smelling breeze battering my right side and the gentle sound of water plopping down around me slowly dragged me back to the waking world. I let out a pained grown and brought a hand up to drag down my face. Never in my life had I felt so worn. It was an effort to move my one arm, and my head was throbbing like one of our livestock had kicked me in the head...which happened once. The surrounding noise was drowned out by what sounded like ragged, uneven breathing. I cracked open my eyes and, lying on my back, looked up to see a massive hole in the ceiling of...wherever I was.

A...cave? Definitely a cave.

My eyes flickered from place, to place before I shut them to rake my head for answers. My muddled mind couldn't recall anything beyond this very moment of waking up, and the horse breathing coming from my right wasn't making it any easier. After another wave of warm air washed over me I turned my head, prepared to stop the cause of it, but instead my words were replaced by a sharp inhale. I found my limbs without thought and scuttled backwards until a cold, hard wall greeted my spine. I stared wide-eyed at the creature in front of me and let out of breath I didn't know I was holding until my vision began to darken.

A Trico. A colossal, armor Trico was laying sprawled out on the ground, panting and heaving. I found my legs once more and rose, keeping my body flush against the cave wall. After a quick once-over of my unwanted company I realized my current position was drastically better than its. The animal had arrows and spears jutting out of its neck, sides, and front and rear legs. A small puddle of blood was also pooled around it, and the creature was partially covered in the rocks and debris. I glanced up at the hole in the ceiling—where it must have fallen through—when the events of the night came down on me like a tidal wave.

 _Walking in on the Trico—this Trico—preparing to abduct one of my people..._

 _Me intervening and trying to stop it..._

 _It panicking, and collapsing the building..._

 _Crawling out of the debris..._

 _My father's frantic warnings..._

And finally, the last thing I remembered— _the large, open maw of theTrico before it swallowed me_.

I pulled my legs in and let my head slump against my knees. I knew exactly what happened. It didn't need explaining. The Trico—this Trico/-had obviously abducted me. The odd feeling of rising and falling I was experiencing, before fading out, was likely the flight to wherever this cave was. I lifted my head from my knees and looked from the Trico—that resembled a pin cushion with the many objects sticking out of it—to the gaping hole in the ceiling, concluding it must've fallen out of the sky, probably from blood loss.

There were old sayings about those unfortunate enough to be taken by these animals; 'Be among the chosen ones,' or some crap like that. No child to have ever been taken made a return. The belief was eventually cast aside. It's now considered to be hollow words you tell a grieving parent after their child is taken from them to be handed over to the Spirit of Death. The thought made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Would this happen to me?

Again, I lowered my head to my knees when another great discovery caught my eyes. My arms...no, my arms and legs were covered in markings. Or tattoos?

I grasped my clothes and put them away to find the same markings covering my chest as well. Fantastic! A small rock was off to my left. I grabbed it and began rubbing it against my forearm. Maybe these were in permanent? I rubbed, and rubbed the rock against my arm until my skin took on the color of the dusk's reddening sky, but the markings held true; plastered to my body. "Great," I muttered, letting the rock tumble out of my hand and, once again, resting my head against my knees.

The cave was suddenly quiet, I realized. Before, the only audible sound, apart from the insects and droplets of water, was the Trico's haggard breathing. I lifted my head towards the Trico and, to my displeasure, it was breathing evenly. Its chest was rising and falling steadily in time with its breathing.

Oh, Spirits above... it was stabilizing! It was either dying, or crawling its way back to consciousness. I could only hope for it to be the first, but if it were the latter...

I rose to my feet and scanned the area. There had to be a way out of here, or just somewhere away from this animal! Across from where I stood was a collapsed stone building. If people build something like that down here then there must be a way out of here. At the far end there looked to be a pathway, but it was blocked by wood and other debris, and opposite that looked to be a hallway leading...who knows where. My decision didn't require thought; I began creeping around the unconscious Trico towards the hallway on the other end of the room.

The closer I got to the hallway the colder I realized it was getting. Caves are all cold, especially when underground, but the degree it was cooling down was a natural. I peeked around the corner to see something bizarre. There was a waterfall of miss sliding down from an overhang and pulling on the floor before whisping away. With one last glance at the Trico—to be sure it was still asleep—I pressed forward. I looked up at the overhang and felt the first, real smile across my face. This could be my way out! My father once told me a story that his friend found his way out of the cave by following an underground stream's current until it let him above ground. If this was something similar, it could lead me somewhere else. Even if it was to another room I'd be away from the Trico!

On the sidewall were lush, green vines growing out from the wall. I gave them a few experimental tugs before deciding they could bear my weight, and climbed. The overhang did have a crack in the wall, and what looked to be like an object—a barrel—stuck in the crack of the wall. It was also full of...something. An odd, green liquid was oozing out from the sidewalls of the barrel. Whatever was inside it couldn't possibly be good for me. Anything in this place could be dangerous to me. I pulled it free and gently set it down. I was tempted to throw it off the ledge but with my luck, the sound would just be enough to wake what could be the death of me.

I turn back to the crack in the wall and went down on all fours to peer in. There had to be something unnatural about this mist. It was still the warm-season and something was somehow producing a freezing climate. I could feel my face going numb just by glancing in the hole. I took a breath to study myself—Oh, Spirits, this is going to be freezing—and began crawling through the cramped space.

This was it. I had faith! This tunnel was going to lead me somewhere safe.

* * *

Another. Dead. End...

With an effort I dragged myself back through the crawl space on stiff, half frozen limbs. Not only did the tunnel lead to a separate room that was a dead end, but the room itself was cold enough to kill you from exposure alone. It had been a pointless expedition. The interior was a large, empty room void of anything useful. A stone—which was carved to look like a man, or a sarcophagus containing a body—held a strange, small shield in its chest.

I scaled back down the vines and crumbled to the floor as soon as my feet touched solid earth. My limbs were a frost bitten purple and black that blended in with my strange markings. I sat down, detaching the shield from my side, and began rubbing the color back to my legs. So much of this was too similar to the dream I had the night before. Everything from the way I found the Trico, to waking up on the floor...but this wasn't supposed to happen! I only wanted to stop the Trico from taking the other kid, not be taken myself!

I picked the shield up and turned the face of it towards me, running a finger over its runes, examining it from different angles, and inspecting it as much as possible. The shield truly was useless. It was probably just a personal item belonging to whoever was buried in the sarcophagus...or whatever that thing was.

I began rising to my feet when the sound of an object clattering to the ground, and a pained yelp drew me back to reality. I felt my stomach flip when I realized what it could be. When I had left the beast it was beginning to stabilize...or die—hopefully it was dying.

I crept along the hallway's wall and peered out around the corner. I could feel bile rising in my throat from the sight alone.

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::The Servant::

Another pained outcry left my muzzle as I tore the sixth consecutive object from my side. It clattered to the ground and I breathed out a weary sigh. Less than half of the objects were torn out, but the relief was instantaneous. I could probably stand and hobble with a limp—perhaps not fly—and still deliver my sacrifice to the Master.

Surely he was looking down on me—aiding me—in some way. I should be dead rite now, not pulling objects out of myself! I survived my flight out of the human Nest, briefly recall having to fly at a low altitude through a raging thunderstorm, only to be struck down by lightning—if my singed feathers are anything to go—and lastly, survived plummeting down through one of the Nest's structures with little to tell of my tale other than a few weapons sticking out my side.

The armor, as impeding as it may be, clearly took the brunt of the fall, being how banged up and dented it is. Had it not been for the armor I likely would have taken more human weapons to my side only to later fall on them which would have spelled my demise.

I took in a content, appreciative breath...and froze from one particular scent entered my nostrils. There was the scent of blood, the fresh scent of the recent storm, and the unwelcoming scent of a Human.

I turned and felt my tail fall limply to the ground, my ears press to my head, and my wings slightly unfurl at the sight of the Human—the same. Damned. Human—that was nearly the death of me! His reaction was identical to mine. His shoulders were slumped forward and his mouth hung open. He held a small, round object in front of his body—as if that would protect him, HA!

Running up and down his limbs were the only welcoming sight; the Master's Mark. I must have unknowingly regurgitated him when I was unconscious. If he somehow were to escape me now—which he wouldn't—his fate was already sealed.

He was as good as dead.

I stood on shaky limbs and began advancing on him with a heavy limp. The armor was going to slow me, but he couldn't escape me! Especially in such a small room. When I was in range to leap at him, he darted left, fainting one direction and running in a different direction. I half expected him to and I whipped my tail around and batted him with it. He flew through the air and landed hard.

This was my opportunity! I leaped towards him and could see the desperation in his eyes. He brought the object from his chest up in a half hearted attempt to protect himself when I realized—oh, merciful Master above—what he was holding...right before a blinding, luminescent light shot forward.

My horns pulsed when it landed on my face and I felt the shield's power resonate with my very being. I reared back and brought a clawed talon up to shield my face as the disgusting human scampered around me and ran into the collapsed stone building off to our right.

I roared in outrage. "Damn it Human! You're only prolonging the inevitable!"

He scurried to the back the the building's interior and brought the shield back up. The scent of his fear hung heavy in the air, and he looked at me like I had slapped him—which, to a degree I had.

"Y-you can s-speak?! I...I can understand you?" He stuttered, shaking like a leaf in a storm.

I released a snarl and began prowling towards him, crouching low so I could see him inside the structure.

"Come out, Human! You're cornered! Accept your fate!" I demanded, reaching a talon in that was just short of tearing him apart. I rose back up and glanced at the room. I was too preoccupied with removing objects from my body to recognize it at first. Of all the places to have fallen into. Of all. The damn. Places. It had to be the Tomb of the Guardian. This just couldn't have been a simple offering, could it!?

"What? No! Leave me alone, Trico!" He shouted back in equal intensity.

There were strict rules in place about killing a sacrifice who was already marked, which was as equally strict for one Servant killing another Servant. It was simple; never do it. They were to either be recaptured by the Servant or allow the Knights to drag them to their demise. But now? With him somehow having found the Guardian's Shield? This was different. Much, much different.

He HAD to die. His escape could cause a plethora of problems, especially if he were to somehow escape, or so I've been told.

"W-we can talk now, Trico. We can talk! We can figure something out!" He pleaded. But my mind was already made up. He was going to die. Right here, right now.

I crouched low again and brought my tail around to aim it at him. His eyes widened when my tail's electric began pulsing and he made a desperate attempt to flea from his hiding place just as the bolt left my tail with a deafening—CRACK. He managed to evade the bolt and it detonated behind him, throwing him from the building and rolling on the cave's floor, battered and bleeding.

He lay a distance from the structure and rolled on to his back, propping himself up in a half sitting, half reclining position. It was over...

I raised my tail again and it crackled a few times before the bolt shot forward and collided with his frail form.

And just like that it was—

WHAT?!

The lightning slammed into him and the markings on his body shone a luminous white right before he began flailing and writhing in clear pain. He cried out in a way I'd never heard something living do before. His body beneath his cloths looked to move, almost like boiling water as the fur on his head thinned and began being replaced with...feathers?!

As he thrashed about his human arms and legs seemed to snap and crack, repositioning themselves on his body as talons began forming in the place where his fingers and toes once were.

What in the name of the Master is happening?!

His skin stretched, cracked, and bled as limbs began to elongate. The sounds of bones cracking and were as pronounced as a tree toppling over and crashing to the ground.

His torso expanded until whatever he was wearing tore and shown that the rest of his body was undergoing a similar change to what I saw before. His entire skeletal structure was bulging and growing. New appendages grew at a rate equally fast as the rest of his body. A long tail began to form along with a set of wings that broke through his skin and caused small streams of blood to cascade down his developing form. And all over his body an increasing amount of feathers were sprouting.

I watched in complete shock and intrigue as he slowly began taking on the form of what was clearly a small Servant. He looked up to me in horror, in complete confusion, as even his eyes bulged and grew. Two small horns sprouted from his head and his human teeth began falling out and clattering to the ground. Just as suddenly as it began...it ended.

He glanced up at me one last time before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed to the ground, motionless.

Before me lay a Servant. A small one, about a quarter or third my own size. His feathers were a lighter tan color and his Markings were still present on his feathers, just less pronounced than when they adorned his skin.

I backed away from the new Servant, at a complete loss to what I witnessed. Only one question was continually echoing throughout my mind—

'What have I done..?'

'What have I done..?'

'What have I done..?'

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 **Author's Note 2:** _If you managed to finish this first update, I hope you enjoyed it. Constructive criticism would be so greatly appreciated that I couldn't put it in words. Also, if anybody was waiting for this to be updated I apologize for the long wait_.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** And here we are, Chapter 3! I'm pretty unhappy with what happened _to_ the chapter.

Chapter 3 was supposed to be as long, or nearly as long as Chapter 2...but my phone was stolen. Guess who wrote six or seven thousand words in the notes of their phone? **Raises hand.** Guess who was too dumb to back everything up on the ICloud? **Sheepishly raises hand**.

So, six or seven thousand words were just _piss in the wind_. Oh well, live and learn.

I appoligize for this short chapter, but I'm glad to be getting what is basically a portion of it out. This is, by far, my favorite chapter thus far

A review would be greatly appreciated. I'm still wondering if long or short chapters are the way to go.

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 **P.S:** A shout out to my first ever reviewer ( **Cbassattack** ). Thank you very much for your review, and I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Truth be told; I was worried to see what the first review said Lol. Again, thank you.

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 **Disclaimer:** I do not own 'The Last Guardian'.

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::The Servant::

The rules set in place for one Servant dispatching another are strict and punishable by death for good reason. The Master _needs_ us—just as we need him. We do not exist to kill each other—we exist solely to serve him; hence why we are what we are—why we are called what we are...

We are servants, sworn to serve.

The last Servant to be slain by another had to have been over one hundred full moons ago, if I recall. And that particular Servant was put to death with _extreme_ prejudice by order of the Master himself. His wings were torn from his body and he was cast from the Master's Spire, meeting an untimely end when his body met the Nest's cold ground level.

It wasn't the first Servant to be slain for taking the life of one of his own. There had been other occasions where one Servant shed the blood of another, and they were dealt with in a similar fashion. I might have not been there to witness it, still being as young as I am, but I'd heard stories from other nest mates. No one knew the exact reason why that Servant killed his nest mate one hundred moons ago, and the reason might not even matter. What mattered was the example the Master made of him, and it was simple; _kill one of your own...and your death will soon follow_.

With that in mind it leads me to one— _very_ —big question; _What the hell do I do about this Human...Servant...hybrid or whatever the hell he is now_? He was slowly crawling back to consciousness after appearing to be dead for just a short period of time. Could I be punished if he were to die here? He's a Human, yes, but he _appears_ to be more a Servant than a Human now. Not only that, but how could I explain that he was a Human before just now? If a nest mate were to discover myself and a dead Servant down here, there would be _no_ evidence to prove myself innocent. We're to _aid_ a fellow Servant who is injured, especially if their injuries are fatal. But does this even count? And if I do aid him, and I'm seen to be helping a Human...then what? There's no rules in place for helping a Human, but some things don't _need_ rules. It's just common sense. You don't help a Human, period!

My ears swiveled to the sound of deep, rapid breathing and I looked down to see the Human was now conscious. He had rolled on to his stomach and his legs and wings were sprawled out as he inspected his new body with a mixture of horror and disbelief. His already fast breathing was somehow intensifying to what was clearly hyperventilation or something beyond that—if such a thing even exists beyond that. He stayed like that for several more moments, periodically squeezing his eyes shut then reopening them to inspect his new body, likely thinking this was all a trick of the mind, that squeezing his eyes shut, then reopening them would magically put him back in his previous body. After several vain attempts of squeezing his eyes shut, then opening them, he brought his gaze to mine. His mouth hung open and he looked to be trying to _will_ himself to speak.

"What did you—" was all he got out before he froze. Even his rapid breathing halted temporarily when he realized the start of his question came out as a weak growl and a shrill sounding moan instead of coming out in his human tongue.

I could sense his emotions and inner turmoil with my horns—as all Servants have that sense. Our horns are used for speaking to the Master, answering summons, and a sort of _feeling_ that goes well beyond any of our other natural senses; hearing, smell, and whatnot. A sort of _sixth sense_. Oddly enough, my sixth sense felt...muffled? Almost inaccurate at reading him. I couldn't understand _why_ , but I barely required my extra senses. My nose picked up more than enough of what he was feeling, and he was feeling something _well_ beyond fear and terror by an order of magnitude. He was feeling something I understood, but couldn't comprehend. Despite taking dozens, upon dozens of small Humans, for the first time ever I almost felt—Master above, I feel _disgraceful_ for even _admitting_ it to myself— _pity_ for the whelp.

I detested the very notion of feeling anything for him at all. For _him_ , a _Human_! He was practically prey!

"Were you going to ask, ' _What did you do to me_ ,' or something along those lines?" I asked as flatly and uninterested as possible. My question shook him from his stupor and he continued with his heavy breathing. His entire body was beginning to shake violently. His mouth hung open for several seconds more before he finally found his voice.

"Why...why did you do this to me, Trico?" he asked in a near whisper while trying to bring his legs in and underneath himself. He rose only a feather's length off the ground before his legs betrayed him and he collapsed back to the floor with a brief, pained yelp. I chuckled a bit at the sight. It reminded me of long, long ago when I was first learning to walk. The Human didn't find the amusement in it, however.

 _And what's a...' Tor-iko' anyway?_

"This isn't funny, Trico! You—I..."

He went silent for a few moments, and I half expected him to lash out in anger, or foolishly attack me, but instead he asked in a choked sob, "Why couldn't you just _kill_ me instead of—instead of _this_!" The hybrid drew both his front legs out and covered as much of his head as possible, and just...sobbed...

 _Great...now I have a sobbing, grief-stricken Servant who's still a Human that I still have to deal with. And seriously...what's a Toriko?_

"What I did _was_ meant to kill you, Human." I ground out through a clenched jaw, beginning to feel irritated by this whole ordeal, my feeling pity for the human, and by the fact that _any_ of the blame could be cast on me. " _You_ made the decision to attack me in your human den. _You_ chose to _steal_ that shield on _your own_ volition. _You_ forced _me_ to act. The very _last_ thing I intended to do didn't even _involve_ changing you into— _this_ ," I told him as I raised a foreleg and gestured to his entirety. " _You_ have nobody to blame but _yourself_!"

My choice of words must have lacked finesse and struck him deep, because with each spoken word the Human-turned-Servant seemed to curl in on himself until he couldn't possibly make himself any smaller. And he was already small to begin with!

I'd yet to see him stand upright on all four, but just by looking at him I'd imagine he only stood to my prosternum, likely below it. His length was obviously longer than before. If set side-to-side with me, from his nose to tail-tip he was probably half my own length from my nose to tail-tip. He had clearly become heavier as well, but that goes without saying. Of course he was heavier... What was shocking about it, however, was the sheer amount of muscle his new body had to form to support his new weight. The transformation had to be...excruciating—muscles forming, stretching, tearing...it occured to me that his sobs could just as likely be the result of that.

I let out a sigh and settled back down on my haunches to absentmindedly scratch behind my left ear. I hadn't realized it, but while ranting at the human for his mistakes I'd taken several steps forward to be a couple steps shy of standing over him. Yet another possible reason he was currently curled in on himself.

A pain yelp of my own escape to me when I scratched behind my ear and realize that first _adult_ human's throwing stick, the first injury I'd sustained after _this_ pesky hybrid had intervened, was still stuck in me. Actually, there were still quite a few left over, and half of them would require assistance from a Knight or fellow nest mate to have them removed. I _really_ wanted to get this armor off as well. My body was still sore from the fall—not to mention the objects sticking out of me—and the extra weight of the armor was most unwelcoming at the moment.

I began removing what objects could be reached from myself when I glanced over to see the hybrid had unfurled himself to watch me. The sound of weapons clattering to the ground must have caught his attention. He had stopped sobbing and instead his breaths were hitched. I yanked another object from myself and spat it to the ground. "All _these_ ," I stated, gesturing to the weapon on the ground, "we're another thing caused by _you_ , human."

For the first time since realizing he was down here with me, the human showed an emotion that wasn't fear, worry, or hopelessness. My comment riled him a bit, and he seemed to grow a bit of spine.

"Your surprised?" He said, rising ever-so-slightly off the ground and harrumphing. "Dumb bird...what did you expect? You come to _my_ home and _attack us—a_ nd you're _surprised_ you get attacked in return with spears and arrows? That couldn't be _further_ from my fault!"

I could respect him a little for having some backbone in the face of something _twice his size, and three or four times his weight_ , but he should have stopped at ' _You're surprised_ ' and traded ' _Dumb_ ' for that ' _Toriko_ ' word.

" _Dumb_?"I chastised. " _I_ at least have an understanding of self-preservation, whelp. This entire ordeal was avoidable if you had _not_ intervened." I growled, spatting another 'spear' or 'arrow' directly at him instead of onto the ground. The object bounced off his head and he brought a clawed limb up to rub his head. I laughed. How badly I want to kill him right now for that comment. But I couldn't, and I couldn't let him know that.

" _Not intervene_?" He squeaked. "I wasn't going to stand by idly, _again_ , and watch _another_ Trico take one of my people in front of me, like you _animals_ did nearly a full moon ago!'

 _This_ surprised me. The last time his particular Nest was targeted was actually by the female Servant I flew with on the way to his village. She had told me that she was nearly caught by another small human who decided to _not_ engage her during our flight. How ironic that it was this _same exact human_ before me now. He must have wanted to reconcile his previous actions of not acting, which caused him to engage me last night.

"Well, ' _hero_ ', congratulations on your selflessness. I can _guarantee_ you're regretting it right about now." I tore the last reachable 'spear' from my side and stood, knowing what I must do next—and Master above, I was sick just thinking about it.

The human fell silent and change the subject with a demand I wasn't quite expecting.

"Change me back, Trico. Right now. Please..."

 _That_ got a genuine laugh out of me. "No." I stated blandly. "And before you start with your incessant questions like ' _Why not_?' Or any other _stupid_ demand let me fill you in with a few things."

I padded over to him, towering over the whelp. "Before this entire thing _happened_ I had _no idea_ changing a human was even a _thing_ , which means I don't even know _how_ I'd change you back. Not only that, but let's entertain the very thought that I _could_ change you back. You're in the _Masters Nest_ now," I leaned in close so our heads were only a distance apart, "which is filled with Servants, _just...like...me_."

His ears fell flat against his head when his current situation began to dawn on him without me having to finish.

"If you _were_ turned back, then what? You're already branded with the _Master's Mark_ , which means you'd be hunted down indefinitely, either by myself, other Servants, or by the Master's Knights." I turned and began walking towards a hallway that was blocked with debris. "You've already dug your grave, human. And now you have to sleep in it." I called over my shoulder.

"H–hold on! Where are you going, Trico?" I heard him rustling and rising, followed by a dull sounding— _THUD_. I turned to see he'd moved towards me by about the length of his own body before collapsing again. I'm sure his legs were in _horrible_ pain from the transformation, and I doubt he was even accustomed to walking as a quadruped when he spent his entire life walking upright. I really couldn't help but laugh. I had to find something to keep me sane with everything that was happening.

"Are you just—are you just going to leave me down here?!" He screeched. "You're the reason I'm down here in the first place, Trico! You can't just—just leave me here and be on your way!"

I rolled my eyes and turned to him. This was just like dealing with a fledgling. "Yes, I can. And, yes, I am leaving. I need to speak with my leader to see what to do with you. And you? You're staying put. Right. There." I turned to the pathway and raised my tail, taking aim at the debris that must have crumbled from above to block my path. "And you're in here by choice. I've already explained that to you, hero."

The brightly colored bolt of energy left my tail when my lecture ended. It didn't explode like it had when I was firing it off at the human earlier. Instead, I had it reach its peak heat and it cut through the debris like the bolt was intense flame. I couldn't risk blowing something apart and having the shrapnel injure myself, or killed the hybrid. I was still unsure what would happen to me if I inadvertently killed the new Servant, whether he was originally a human or not. It wasn't something I was going to risk.

The debris crumbled to allow a path for me to climb over. I turned back to the human once more and repeated myself. "Stay—put. I'll be back shortly."

"St-stay put?!" The human hissed. "You're stupid if you think I'm going to stay here! And just what's your ' _leader_ ' going to suggest you do with me anyway?"

I clenched my jaw down, hard. There he goes, calling me stupid again. The Master would _undoubtably_ get rid of this human, and I'd _demand_ to be the one to do it. I turned back to answer when I saw he was rising back up again on shaky limbs. I had to lie. I couldn't tell him I was asking the Master if I should kill him. Even _I_ have more tact than that.

 _Oh, human! Yes, just stay put right here and let me go see if I get to kill you or not. Don't worry, I'll be right back!_

"What's happened to you has never happened before, human. I don't know how to approach this and I'm not going to act without being told first. I doubt my leader will even _believe_ me when I tell him what happened." I turned back to him to hear the retort I was sure he was going to reply with. So far this human was _very_ predictable.

The human let out an annoyed growl and replied, "Well you're not convincing me to stay put. I'm not going to sit here and put my life in your hands when _you're_ the reason all this happen!"

This had to end. I could tell I'd go back and forth with him until the sun set at this rate.

I gave him a sidelong grin. "Then try and leave. You have no idea where you are, and you haven't seen the sheer size of the Nest yet; not to mention it'll be crawling with Knights and Servants before long." The hybrid frowned and his tail lashed across the ground a few times which _actually_ startled him. I laughed. "You also have no idea how to use your new body, and you smell horrible. You won't be difficult to track."

With that I turned and head his last reply as I left; "I _do not_ smell!" I laughed and continued forward.

I wasn't sure were I was just yet as I made my way through a tunnel that was just tall and wide enough for me to fit through. The ground level of the Nest was mostly occupied by the Knights. Servants have no reason to be so far down here when we have wings after all. We're creatures of the sky, and the Nest's walls don't keep us in here as it does some other wingless creatures.

The cave opened up to a large valley with a pathway running along the left side of a complete deadfall. I took a glance over the edge and shook my head. The human wasn't going to go anywhere when he left that cave. I knew he'd leave. The best I could do was try to convince him otherwise, but it was inevitable. I was sure he'd reconsider once he got a good look at what lay before him. The dead fall alone would likely be enough to make him return to the cave and accept his fate.

Finally outside I unfurled my wings and checked them for damage. They were sore with some bone and muscle bruising, but that was all. I could probably fly to my destination but I thought giving them a rest would be best for me. It would undoubtedly be difficult for me to fly with the armor's weight with how injured I was. I'd have to walk to what the Master calls one of his ' _Chandelier Rooms_ ' to speak with him. I also needed to plan out exactly what I would tell the Master when I spoke with him. If I didn't word it properly I could be in as much trouble as the human was.

I realized the only hope the human had to truly escape would be to fly out. Considering he was incapable of even walking...I didn't have to worry about that. And I never would.

I continued on my way with all the events fresh in my mind.

A small part of me wondered how the human was fairing back there...

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 **Author's Note 2:** A quick thank you if you managed to see this chapter to the end. If you did, what did you think about it? Your reviews are greatly appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** _Look at that! Fanfic is finally fixed as I can post this new chapter!_

 _So, first off; short chapter, and here's why: I'm new to this. This is my first attempt at writing a story of my own. This chapter was supposed to be_ **massive** —12,000-15,000 words— _but the part after this needs some serious work, and I don't want to hold off on updating this story. Personally; I want this chapter out. So, sorry for the short chapter._

 _Second; in the game 'The Last Guardian,' ever wonder how the Boy's father took to his son being taken? We're gunna find out now. And it's going to be important._

 _Lastly; If you're interested in knowing this story's progress, go to my profile and check out my Bio. If I add one word, one-hundred words, one-thousand words to the chapter that's being worked on I'll post it in my Bio. I'll be using it as a sort of Diary...diary...is that the right word? ...Whatever. Enjoy!_

 _A review would be greatly appreciated. Let me know how my first story is coming along._

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 ** _—Review Section_** ** _Response—_**

 _Any reviews I get that ask a question, or speculate on something I can comment on will be added in this 'Review Section_ Response _' section._

 **Cbassattack:** _The Servant's reaction to this may not be what some are expecting. The Servant is fully dedicated to the Master. He'll do as he's told, no matter what he's told. Or will he?_

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 ** _Disclaimer:_** _I do not own 'The Last Guardian.'_

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::Ueda::

The sounds of people milling about, gossiping, and the occasional shouts of one individual giving directions to a group, told me a few things.

Firstly, it was morning. Not that I'd be able to tell though. After the events of last night I'd retired early and covered my windows with drapes to block out the rest of the world while I thought.

Secondly, the village had begun working on repairs left in the Trico's wake—judging by the shouts and directions being given beyond the walls of my home. Koma's house was reduced to a pile of hardly salvageable wood, and the fence separating the forest from our village had to be patched up. The Trico had apparently charged right through it during its escape.

Torches provided too little light to begin repairs after the attack, so our chief and a few of the council members suggested repairs be put off until sunrise. With there being a giant hole in the fence the last thing the council wanted was wildlife finding their way into the village and killing anybody. Koma and his family were staying in the Great Hall while our builders focused their efforts on raising a new home for them.

Thirdly was the gossip and retelling of last night's events by numerous villagers. Never before had the Trico caused so much damage. The animals had been absent for nearly a decade before making their return, so naturally—especially just after an attack—it was the topic of choice by everyone.

All the gossip paled in comparison to the subject most talked about; _a council member's only child fighting off a Trico to save another child, only to be taken by the animal shortly after_.

' _The Spirits are cruel_ ,' I thought bitterly while rising from my chair and making my way over to the drapes covering my windows. I removed them and winced when the morning's early light scalded my eyes. I shouldn't stow myself away and grieve the entire day. This I knew. My son wouldn't want that of me. I couldn't help it though, being so deep in thought with these books. An epiphany, along with two other things, was keeping me locked away as I was. The thought made me leave my home only once to retrieve a few books. After that I returned home with the books and continued reading, and reading. Sleep never came to me, however I didn't bother to try and sleep.

 _I watched my son be carried off to his death..._

Would the surreal feeling of admitting that ever go away? _I doubt it_. The images of last night played over in my mind endlessly until the epiphany struck me, and I began connecting the dots.

The sounds of people shouting, ' _Trico!_ ' outside my house echoed in my mind, even now. When the distressed calls of the village woke me I ran to my door and pulled it open. The beast had charged past my own home while making its escape with a caravan of seething villagers brandishing spears and loosing arrows in pursuit of it.

While one group gave the Trico chase, seeking blood and retribution, another group was calling out for help. The Trico had apparently brought a building full of kids down in its attempt to flee.

My son's friend was having a party, and invited many of his friends over—my son being amongst them I knew. I gave him the go-ahead to attend the party after all. My blood ran cold when the group began making their way in the direction of Koma's home. I followed the group, praying to the Spirits that my only child was safe and unharmed. When I reached the building my people were already hard at work dragging kids from the rubble. Many had anything from mild to severe injuries—one kid I watched being rescued was unconscious.

I felt a lump forming in my throat— _a lump that still feels present, even now_ —when he wasn't among the already rescued kids, or kids being rescued.

The mounting anxiety felt to rapidly evaporate away when one single child—unaided—appeared from the debris of the crumpled home. He crawled his way out and stood; dusting himself off and looking around with an expression of trauma and shock adorning his features.

 _'He's alive,_ ' I remembered thinking in relief. ' _He's ok_.'

The feeling was short-lived and quickly replaced with an emotion no human can ever grow used to; _helplessness_... The ground around me trembled slightly, then from around a corner came the Trico. It came to a sliding halt, skidding to a stop and tearing trenches into the ground. It looked in the direction of the ruined building, past all the people, beyond the villagers charging towards it—and locked its sight on none but my child.

I could swear to the Spirits that the damn thing's muzzle twisted in a way that resembled a smirk. Maybe even a grin.

I charged forward towards my son when the Trico so much as twiched in his direction. I shouted and yelled to him while pointing at the Trico. I can't even remember what I was yelling to him, so lost in the moment I was. All he did was turn towards me, clearly not comprehending anything. The beast went into a full sprint and lowered its head to the ground, its mouth opened wide.

A horrible feeling of helpless resignation came over me when I watched the Trico scoop him up and continue charging towards the forest—crashing through the fence in its retreat.

I, along with the two dozen villagers, gave chase. We eventually lost it in the dark of the dense foliage and were forced to turn back in defeat with heavy hearts. The Trico was spotted through the leaves of the trees as the faint silhouette of it took flight and disappeared into the night sky.

 _It all replayed in my mind, over and over._

This guilt was haunting me as well. Ironic, isn't it? Only a full day ago I had been telling my son to not burden himself with guilt if it was something outside his control. This was _my fault_ , however. My son's dream, it was right there, right in my face! The Spirits warned _him_ and he came to me. I, as the Shaman, should have had the clairvoyance to recognize that dream as foreshadowing— _which is exactly what it was_!

I could berate myself the rest of the day, as I did the entire night. And I would. I would **never** forgive myself for this failure. I failed the village, my chief, but even worse; my failure cost my son his life.

 _And...that's when the epiphany struck me..._

I turned from the window and stared back to the desk where several books were laid out. Only three books I found helpful. One book was on the 'Surrounding Wildlife,' another on 'Myths and Legends,' and the last one on recorded information traded between our _neighboring villages_.

We never _contact_ our neighboring villages for much of anything. The distance between us and some of the villages are too great. Wild animals could also prove to be problematic during extended journeys—if reading through the book pertaining to ' _Surrounding Wildlife_ ' was anything to go by—so contact with villages are kept to a minimum.

Once a year the villages would send out their village chief and his council to meet on neutral grounds and discuss all things from harvests to maintaining neutrality with one another. All that traded information was brought back and recorded later being placed within the Great Hall with the rest of our books.

My question wasn't about them appearing or vanishing for periods of time. What I was looking for was never mentioned in any information we had about other villages and the Trico. A detail I hadn't heard anybody speak of from outside my house this entire time...

 _Why did it have_ **armor** _on_? I mean... **armor**?! How is it even feasible? They lack _opposable thumbs_ for Spirits sake!

I walked over to my table where three books lay open and glanced down at two of them—' _Myths and Legends_ ' and ' _Surrounding Wildlife._ ' They both had the same hand-drawn picture depicting a Trico staring at whoever was drawling it. The picture was drawn just over a decade ago, before the Trico left our village alone for a time. But most importantly; the picture depicted a Trico **without armor**!

When the epiphany first struck me I sat on it, thinking. Eventually I left my home and made for the Great Hall to gather any books that mentioned, or might have mentioned, the disgusting animals.

The Trico who took my son _had armor on_. Nearly ten years ago, when the Trico were last attacking, they _weren't clad in armor_. We even have photo evidence to prove that fact! Sometime after they vanished they were being armored. But how? By whom? Our neighboring villages never mentioned any Trico attacking them being armored. But at the same time Trico attacks were barely discussed.

I glared at the picture of the beast and furrowed my brows. Was somebody armoring these animals? Was somebody sending them to attack us for some reason?

"We're at war." I spoke aloud, for everyone but no one to hear. "Nobody's realized it yet, but every village is under attack..."

— _KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK—_

The dull thudding shook me from my thoughts and I turned to face my front door. _Who could this possibly be now_? I _didn't_ want to be bothered. I wanted to be left _alone_! I marched to the door and made every footfall as loud as the pounding on my door.

I grabbed the door and tried to keep myself as composed and respectful as a _council member_ and _Shaman_ should be. I was running on zero sleep while the reality of my child being _dead_ was slowly crushing me.

" _What_ do you—" I began. Oh, but how quickly the words wilted and died. I yanked the door open and was greeted by a man standing three heads taller than myself and nearly as wide as my doorframe. His arms were heavily tattooed with the designs and markings of the Chief—similar to my own Shaman tattoos, but less dense. He stared down at me—the Chief —with a look of worry. I could feel my anger swiftly leave me at the sight of my Chief, and childhood friend.

"Chief Murakumo," I greeted with a head bow. "I wasn't expecting you."

"Ueda, my friend. Would ye' mind if I come in?" he responded in his deep voice.

I glanced over my shoulder and looked at the several books and single candle resting on my table. _I should step outside,_ I thought. _I'd rather not have to explain any of my assumptions to the Chief just yet._

"Let me take a step outside with you instead, Chief." I stepped outside into the light of the day and glanced around. Just in front of my home were the footprints left behind by the Trico when he had run past.

This was half the reason I didn't want to leave the house. There was so much out here to remind me of what happened. To be honest; I was trying to distract myself from the reality of everything. The Chief must have seen where my gaze fell to. He grabbed my one shoulder and turned me towards himself like I was a child.

"Ya' doin alright, Ue—" he paused. "...I just realized how stupid a' question that is." We turned back to the village before us as everybody ran about. In the distance was Koma's house—or its empty foundation—as it was already cleared and being rebuilt.

I kept my face emotionless as I continued watching the world move around me. It was like I was frozen in time, a bystander observing while being unnoticed.

"I appreciate any condolence and concern for me, Mura. Honestly I do. But I'd rather not so much as talk about last night."

The Chief hummed in reply. "I understand, old friend. I won't push the subject. I wouldn't want you to sick any Spirits on me." He planted a playful jab into my side releasing a grunt and a small grin out of me.

"Very well, Ueda. I won't push it. I'll change the subject with the other thing I came here to see ya' for."

"Summoning the council for later?" I guessed, glancing up at him. I knew that was the other 'thing' he came here for. A Trico attack is always followed by a council summoning and village meeting in the Great Hall.

"Ye', sorta." He muttered. "I'm summoning the council for later tonight to address last night's events and what we can do to prevent it. I'm informing you of the meeting later tonight. However, I'm not going to force you to attend this one. Not after...ya'..."

A heavy exhale left me. No, I didn't want to attend. I knew what would be brought up. This was an opportunity to bring my findings to the Chief and the rest of the council however. If the Trico were being armored— _which they were, I damn well knew it—_ it would be best for the entire village to be aware of.

 _I want revenge..._

"I'll attend, Chief. I don't exactly want to, but I will."

Murakumo gave me a pat— _although it was more of an open-handed slap_. "If you can, then thank you, Ueda. Don't think I'm forcin' ya though." He took a few steps forward but soon turned back to make his way over to me. "One last thing, Shaman."

I gave him my attention and raised an eyebrow. The Chief outstretched one of his large hands and gestured to the activity happening all around. "What do ya' see?"

I studied my surroundings. I'm no child. This was a ' _what's-the-broader-picture_ ' sort of question. I shrugged once, not feeling particularly interested in playing along. He let out a sigh.

"People goin' about their business. People continuin' on their day. I'm sorry for what happened, Ueda. I truly am. But don't lock yourself away. It's like taking poison. I've seen too many parents—"

" _How can't I_ , Chief!" I retorted. " _How can't_ I?! This wasn't a neighbor's child, or a friend's kid! The is was way closer to home! This was. _My. SON_!"

I was heavily breathing at this point. My shoulder rise and fell in time with my breaths. It finally occurred to me what I was doing; I was letting my frustrations out and directing them towards what was basically an innocent bystander.

I looked away from the Chief, abash. "I'm—I'm sorry, Chief Mur—"

" _Don't_ apologize, Ueda." Murakumo brought a hand up and reached around to scratch his back absentmindedly. "I won't pretend to know what ya' feelin. I've got no child of my own to truly empathize. But the village is everythin to me. It's people, they're everthin to me. Losin anyone's child...it's the closest thin' to losin one my own I can get to."

This was true. The man had no kin of husband own. He was as much the Chief as he was a sort of father-figure to the children in his own sort of way. Likely to fill in the void of being unable to father a son himself.

"Isolation; it's like the worst of poisons. Sometimes—the worst thin' for us is bein' left to our own thoughts. Just know your village is here for ya'. Just as much as I am."

And with that, he gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze and turned, walking off towards the builders working on Koma's home, having said his piece. I turned and went back inside, letting the door slowly close behind me.

I knew what he was saying. ' _Don't let this consume you._ ' It was the same thing I'd told my son. How ironic to be receiving this advice now.

Mura was right though. I couldn't shut myself out. I wouldn't, for my son's sake. I'll find a reason to press forward in my son's absence...

 _I'd make the Trico, and whoever is arming them, pay._

I moved to my chair and sat down in it hard. For the first time since my wife's passing a few tears streamed down the side of my face. I reclined back in the chair, wiping them away and silently prayed to the Spirits above—

' _Please...take care of my boy. Make sure he's in a better place..._ '

His death wouldn't _not_ be in vain.

There was more to all this. I knew it. Evidence be damned—I didn't require more than I already have. I would forfeit my roll as Shaman and request to seek out the other villages. Maybe even fully unite us under a similar goal and cause.

We need a leader.

I would be that leader.

I'll push to unite the villages.

I'll surround myself with those who want this war—a war unbeknownst to the majority—to come to an end. Once and for all.

But most importantly, I would bring whoever's responsible for all this to an end...

For my son...

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 **Author's Note 2:** _Ueda's pissed. Gloves are coming off, and somebody's going to pay._

 _Something I always wondered is why nobody ever question the Trico being armored. It was a thing I first questioned a year ago when I started playing TLG._

 _A review would be greatly appreciated if you wouldn't mind. Not so I can say, '_ Yaay! Somebody reviewed! _' but instead because I'm really relying on feedback on this story to tell me if I'm doing something good or bad._

 _Thanks again, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter._

 _Next chapter will be longer—_ I promise _—and will continue right were Chapter 3 left off. It will completely involve The Boy and The Servant._


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author's Note:** And here we are. After nearly two months this chapter is out. I won't lie; little nervous. Hope this came out well. _

Let me know how you liked this chapter, even if you review as a guest it's greatly appreciated and the feedback helps me a lot.

If the beginning feels slow paced, don't worry. It picks up.

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 _Two side-notes real quick:_

 _:First off, if dialog is written with a colon ':' instead of a coma ( " ) it means the dialogue is happening telepathically.:_

 _Just wanted to quickly throw this in here as to not confuse anyone._

 _Secondly; if you are interested in how the production for each chapter is going, stop by my profile and read my Bio. I update it when I so much as add one world, ten words, one thousand words to the chapter being worked on._

 _I'm still not sure if many people looked at it while I worked on Chapter 5, but I'll continue doing it._

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 **::Author Review Response::**

 **Anonymous Guest:** _Thank you so much for your review. Your review, and **Cbassattack's** —believe it or not—were a large motivational factor for me to continue adding more and more words, more and more planning to this story. I'm happy you said you like the characters more than anything. Having never written a Fanfic before I was worried the characters would be very 'meh'. So thank you, your review meant a lot. _

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**Disclaimer:** _I do not own 'The Last Guardian.'_

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:The Boy:

"I do **not** smell!"

My vocal chords strained with how loud I shouted back to the Trico. He paid me little attention, letting out a humorous laugh as he disappeared over the rubble he'd blown apart. The echoing remnants of his laugh lingered in the cave long after he disappeared out of sight and served only to aggravate me further.

What a—a _jerk_!

There were more words I'd use to describe the stupid Trico—words somebody my age aren't aloud to use. He was crazy—delusional! One moment he wants nothing more than to kill me, then the next moment he's telling me to ' _stay put_ ' and wait for him to come back like he's my guardian or something! Like that would happen!

And I didn't smell!

 _...Did I..?_

I paused and glanced over at the rubble where the animal had disappeared over. For some reason there was a hint of lingering embaressment that the Trico might be watching me and see what I was about to do.

I leaned my head down close to my forearm— _after I was sure he wasn't watching_ —and gave the back of it a hesitant sniff...and gagged...

A metallicy, iron-like scent filled my nostrils. My nose wrinkled in disgust as I reared my head back to distance myself from the nasty smell. It was like smelling a dead animal.

I could feel my ears warm up in embarrassment at the revelation. Maybe the Trico wasn't lying after all...

The lingering scent that lodged itself in my nostrils faded as soon as reality struck me. And oh boy, it hit me about as hard as a charging ram. If the Trico did one thing, that 'thing' would be acting as the world's biggest distraction.

I stared down at my ' _forearm_ ,' at my ' _hand,_ ' in horror...

In place of a ' _forearm_ ' was a large, bulky limb covered in tannish feathers, lightly matted with blood after what had just recently happened. My ' _hand_ ' was replaced with a large paw—almost like a large chicken's foot. Where my fingers once were had been replaced with a pair of three sharp, pointed talons.

 _—Th-this isn't real. This_ cant _be real—_

I turned my arm over and made an effort to ball my hand into a fist. The talons bent inward but failed to meet the flat of my palm.

 _—This isn't real. I'm not a Trico_ —

Now that the Trico had left, everything began to sink in. I rose up on incredibly unfamiliar, and very shaky limbs. This felt wrong, this _all_ felt so wrong. I must have looked like a newborn calf trying its legs out for the first time when my two front legs crisscrossed to form the shape of an ' _X_ ' to stop myself from falling flat on my face.

I rose from the ground, slowly distancing myself more and more from the floor. Once I had myself balanced I stared down at the ground and felt like a giant among men. I was easily taller than my father. Even taller than my village's chief!

— _It's a dream. It has to be a dream. I need to wake up—_

My breathing was becoming rapid and I could hear a constant _thudding_ sound in my ears. For the first time I glanced at what the Trico had done to me, and refused to believe my eyes.

I twisted my head around, and then twisted it more...and more...and more. With next to no effort I managed to turn my entire head around to face my hind quarters, almost like an owl. The little feat should have caused a strained muscle.

Wait, what was I saying? No person could do this! This should break my neck if anything!

Behind me was a seemingly misplaced weight that felt to be dragging me down. Wings. I have _wings_ now?

They were draped out on the ground, laying on my left and right side. They were so much bigger than the other Trico's. But how? His looked to be the size of an overgrown chicken wing!

At the far end of my body was a tail...oh Seven Spirits, I have _a tail_?!

I tried to get the tail to wiggle by shaking my hindquarters from side to side. All that did was make me stagger and nearly fall flat on my face if not for crisscrossing both my front _and back legs_ this time. The rest of my body was covered in the same colored feathers that were all over the rest of me. Those weird, black tattoos were still there too! The were less noticeable with all the dirt and blood covering my feathers— _I can't believe I'm saying I have_ feathers _now!_

"No! What did you do to me, Trico?!"

My breathing hitched and I snapped my mouth shut when the unfamiliar words came out as a sound. My question sounded no different than ordinary words in my mind. However, the sound came out as a mournful croon that was anything but words. Somehow the weird _croon_ that left me carried the same meaning as my plea. I wasn't forming words—I was making animal-like sounds instead!

I was beginning to feel really warm. Like the onset of a bad fever when you are getting sick.

— _I'm a Trico. This isn't right. I'm a person! Not an animal_ —

Something on the upper sides of my head flickered a few times. I tried looking up and saw nothing. It took a moment before I realized they were ears. Big, giant ears...which were slowly beginning to feel like they were becoming filled with water. My hearing was beginning to feel like I had stuffed cotton into them for some reason.

My hearing was fading, my breaths were short—but coming in and out quicker than what was healthy. The only sound to drown out my own breathing was a persistent— _thudthud-thudthud—_ that was becoming more and more rapid.

— _Is that my heart? Why is it going so fast?—_

The edges of my vision began to slowly shrink away while the few bright colors inside the cave were replaced by a blurred, greyish hue. Each breath I exhaled made my head swim and my legs shake just a little bit more. Then there was a sensation of swaying; like I was on a rocking boat.

And was I shrinking? Or was the cave growing? Before long I felt like the smallest object inside the once massive cave. This only added to thealready out-of-control panic I was experiencing.

Soon there was nothing left of my vision other than a small focal point in front of me. My legs began to fail me and suddenly I was falling, falling, falling. The sound of my racing heartbeat filled my ears as I felt myself toppling to the ground like a large pine tree.

I had but one remaining, fleeting thought;

 _This is real. This isn't a dream..._

 _I'm a Trico..._

My chin struck the ground with enough force to rattle my brain and break my teeth...

And then there was the pleasant solitude of silence, darkness, and unconsciousness.

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Each time I recently found myself waking up, either from a dream or unconsciousness, it came with an unwanted discovery. Either that or I learned something I didn't want to know.

My father waking me from that nightmare, which felt like such a long time ago already, came with acknowledging my failure to help somebody being thrown in my face.

Then there was waking up in this _stupid_ cave! My saving the next person from a Trico came with me waking to find I was taken instead. What kind of sick joke is this? These aren't the things that should be happening after doing what I did!

Saving somebody else always seemed to be followed by anything but punishment, which was what this was. A strange, unorthodox punishment from the Spirits for reasons beyond my understanding.

And then waking up to learn I was stuck in the body of a Trico. One moment I'm staring up at the deranged animal, prepared to kill me, then the next moment I wake up to find I have wings and a tail. It was the absolute worst wake up call that seemed to happen at random.

Waking up this time was different however...

There was nothing left for me to realize. Nothing more for me to learn. I'd already realized what happened before passing out, which I'm pretty sure that's what just happened—going by how nauseous and delirious I feel.

I'm a Trico now—end of story...

I rolled over on to my side and took a few deep breaths to rid myself of the dizziness in my head. Worry struck me quick when I prodded my tongue around inside my mouth and felt nothing but gums. Did I knock all my teeth out when I collapsed?

' _No._ ' I thought after gathering my senses. ' _For some reason these stupid creatures have no teeth_ '. What's the point of that anyway? Something as big as them don't live off of the same diet as a goat!

Do they?

Speaking of the creature; I couldn't help but wonder just how intelligent these animals were. After all—they can _speak_! Well...sort of. Or maybe they've been able to speak this entire time without us being able to understand them? If that Trico was talking to me when I first found that shield it was only coming out as grunts, growls, and other animalistic sounds. It wasn't until that odd light hit the Trico did its sounds form words. If they're intelligent enough to be able to directly communicate with some sort of...I don't know... ' _spoken words_ ' than they've gotta be smart enough to know what they've been doing since before my birth.

The killings. The random attacks against us for next to no reason, other than out of instinct for...food maybe? They must be aware of all the atrocities they're commiting if they are as smart as I think they are.

A chill ran down my spine at that thought. Was he going to eat me? Was I just lucky enough that he accidentally spit me out?

I crooked my head to look up at the gaping hole in the cave's ceiling where the Trico had obviously fallen through...however long ago. A day maybe? I had no idea how much time had already passed. I couldn't even tell how long I was unconscious for! It couldn't have been that long, could it? The cave seemed just a bit brighter than before, but that could just as easily be because of these new 'Trico eyes' I had in place of my human eyes.

My racing mind found another depressing thing to focus on. Something I hadn't even thought of until now.

My village. My friends, father...everybody! They must think I'm dead—and I wouldn't be shocked if they did. I might as well be. It would be so much easier if I were just...dead...

What was I going to do about my village now? Even if I somehow got out of all this, then what? The Trico even mentioned the same thing. If I somehow returned home would my village, and father, even accept me? I wasn't a human now. I was my people's greatest adversary. An animal that every human— _both from my own village and neighboring villages_ —had been trying to survive against since before I was even born.

The thought of returning home— _through some miracle of divine intervention from the Spirits—_ crossed my mind. My own people fighting me off as relentlessly as they would with any other Trico. The image of my own father standing over me with a spear to my throat found its way into my mind. I squeezed my eyes shut to rid myself of the very thought.

I couldn't return home after this. If there even was an ' _after this_.'

There was no way I could _speak_ to my father and the rest of the village after all. Not in this form at least.

I set my head back on the cool floor of the cave and glanced to the corner of the cave where a strange, green glow could be seen.

' _The only way I'd have a shadow of a chance to talk to them, or anybody really, would be for them to use that shield on me like I did the Trico, which let us speak_.' I thought mockingly.

 _That shield_.

A low, rumbling growl began rising in my chest. That shield—I could almost blame _it_ as much as I could blame the stupid, psycho Trico.

I rolled on to my side— _with a little effort on my part_ —and began to rise on unfamiliar legs, swaying a bit before I found my balance on four limbs instead of two. I still couldn't believe just how _tall_ I was in this body. I staggered over to the side where the strange, glowing item was left on the ground. I staring down at it, at the _shield_.

If I had teeth I'd be bearing them at it. It lay there looking like the most plain and unimportant thing in the world when it was half the reason I was stuck like this. If I'd never found the stupid shield I wouldn't have been changed. The Trico would have either just eaten me or captured me— _going by what he said earlier. That I'd just be recaptured by one of the other Trico or...Knights?_

I lifted my right paw and stamped down on the shield— _hard_ —hoping to crush the thing under my new weight. The ground caved in a bit when I brought my weight down on it. Maybe I was throwing a tantrum like a child younger than me but I wanted to break something. If for no other reason than to get rid of some of my frustration.

When I lifted my hand— _er... paw—_ to see that I'd destroyed the dumb thing, instead it was unscathed, not even dented—not even a single dent on its face. All doing that did was press it into the ground and burry it a bit.

A sort of venomous hiss escaped me. "Stupid shield!"

I lifted my right paw and prepared to swipe it with my talons, maybe shear it in half. That was the plan at least. Instead, my claw passed just over the ground, unbalancing me and toppled me over on to my right side. My heavy landing sounded like a large pine tree crashing on to the forest floor.

"Stupid shield." I grumbled. "I can't even break the stupid thing. I can't even throw a tantrum properly in this body. Oh, and now I'm talking to myself! Great! Everything is just _great_!"

I laid there for a moment, pouting, when something I'd never heard before split the very air around me. It was so loud that my ears pressed flat against my head and I tried to bring my hands— _er, paws! They're paws now!—_ up in a fain attempt to cover my ears and block out the sound.

It was a...horn? A siren? Whatever it would pierced my ears with how loud it was. A weak cry escaped me when the sound continued. I opened my eyes— _not knowing I shut them in the first place_ —to see my vision was actually vibrating from the sound. My hearing was too sensitive. I wasn't use to noises as loud as this. The sound was actually causing me pain!

The siren lasted way longer than I would have liked. Eventually it began to taper off as the sound of it faded away. The only remnants left from it was the quickly fading echo as the sound vanished entirely.

I uncurled myself and stood, shaking my head and praying that my ears weren't _bleeding_ from whatever that noise was.

"What in the name of the Seven Spirits was—"

And then it hit me. Something struck me—or washed over me—with the force of something indescribable. A small, cyan colored glow was visible from the upper peripherals of my vision. It was similar to the Trico's horns when that light came out of the shield and made his horns glow.

— _Wait! I even have HORNS?_

I had little to no time for the fact that I have horns to sink in. Before I could even question yet _another_ unwanted discovery of my body...something seemed to chisel its way into the deepest parts of my mind. A sort of presents seemed to enter my head. Like another living being, or a spirit. It didn't sound malevolent as you'd think something entering your mind would sound. Instead it spoke softly, like a person trying to calm a frightened animal.

:: _My new Servant. Remain where you—::_

I leapt to my feet and backed myself up until I slammed in to the cave's wall. My tail acted on its own and went between my hind legs like a dog being scolded. I felt a rising embarrassment bubble up in myself knowing that I was acting like a dog. Like an animal— _like a Trico._

The voice spoke to me. _Directly_ to me. I could tell! It felt almost physical, like the voice had physically grabbed me to get _my_ attention. I only heard a little of what it said. It wanted me to stay where I was? But why?

"Hello? Is somebody else out there?" I called out.

Nothing answered me. The cave went back to being as silent as it was before. Nothing more than my own heart _thudding_ in my ears and the sound of my own rapid breathing.

I narrowed my eyes at the ground and thought about what the voice said and gasped when the realization of it struck me. I'd heard that exact demand and request not long ago by that Trico before—

— _Before he left to speak to his 'Leader'_ —

I could feel my panic rising to the same level just before it made me pass out earlier. Was that him? Was that the Trico's leader?

What was I doing this entire time? If I wasn't pouting about what happened to me then I was panicking to the point of losing consciousness while the Trico all the while was going off to speak to his leader. If that was the 'Leader' the Trico was speaking of—

 _—Then that means the Trico is on his way back. Right now—_

I looked to the hallway off to my right where the Trico had disappeared through. Dying seemed a lot less desirable than it did moments ago when I wished death over any of this.

I didn't think of what would come next or what was ahead of me. I just began toddling my way towards the exit, or what hopefully was an exit.

* * *

With a fair bit of trial and error I managed to figure my new legs out enough to be able to climb the hill of debris left in the Trico's wake after he blasted apart the wall blocking his path earlier. I tumbled back to the floor a few times while trying to scale the mound of wreckage before finally standing atop it all with a feeling of triumph bubbling in my stomach.

I even managed to figure out how to move my tail and wings! Only, it took too much focus to move them both at the same time. I was left to either drag one or the other on the ground as I moved about. My tail was the easiest to keep lifted off the ground— _focusing only one tail instead of the two wings attacked to my side._ Keeping it elevated even helped me keep my balance a bit more than having it drag on the ground behind me! It was so obvious too, I should have realized that earlier. Plenty of animals use their tail for balance, if not for anything else. Even a bird's tail feathers are used for balance.

The wings on the other hand...er, 'paw'— _how long before I stop calling these things hands?_ —were a different matter entirely. The muscles to control them were somehow connected to my shoulders. And keeping both of them off the ground took two or three times the amount of concentration opposed to the tail. I couldn't lift them any higher off the ground than a couple of heads high.

I still couldn't figure a way to fold them up and have them neatly pressed against my sides. The Trico had his folded up— _when he wasn't yelling at me that is. That was the only time they_ weren't _folded up, instead being slightly unfurled like a threatening animal._

Finally atop the rubble I stared down in to the hallway the Trico disappeared through earlier. This _had_ to be the way out of here. Not only did the Trico never double back to find another means of an exit, but— _even though I tried blocking this out of my mind_ —he managed to leave and find his 'Leader,' if the voice that spoke to me was in fact that mentioned 'Leader.'

There were no lights to brighten the interior of the tunnel except for the light coming from the ceiling behind me— _from the Trico's_ _fall_ —and a rather faint light coming from deep inside the tunnel where I _hoped_ was the exit.

What surprised me more than anything was how...bright the tunnel appeared. It had to be these Trico eyes. The darkest parts ahead of me appeared to be a luminescent hue of purple, instead of being black as pitch.

Ever so cautiously I planted one paw in front of the other and descended into what was no doubt my way out of this miserable place.

One question crossed my mind as I continued onward, making sure to keep my tail raised and wings away from anything they could get stuck between while dragging on the ground at my sides: _if not for being a Trico now, would I even be able to escape?_

Some of the rubble lying about looked to be as large as I was when I was human. I was fortunate enough to be so much larger that I could just step up or heave my weight forward to clear some of the taller obstacles blocking my path.

I must be going mad to have even the slightest appreciation for being stuck in this animal's body, or my body...whichever it was.

As I slowly made my way to the light on the other end of the tunnel the smell of what I could only compare to a resent rainstorm lingered in the air. Was I already getting closer to the outside world? I took a few deep breaths through my nose, letting such a different smell calm my nerves—

—And then felt my stomach drop when I turned the corner...this just _couldn't be easy! Could it!_

As I turned the corner I was faced with my first _real_ obstacle that lay ahead of me. I was learning that most of what that Trico had said were true; I had no idea where I was. And this new area proved it. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before.

Any doubts that I was in fact inside a cave somewhere underground left me, and quick. Above me a small amount of light fell from the ceiling above, from what could only be called a crevasse, or a fissure. I took a few timid steps forward to what could only be described as a complete _dead-fall_ and felt the feathers around my neck puff up when I glanced down below.

A heavy mist floated in the air, obscuring much of what there was to see. If not for my new eyes I could have walked clear off this cliff and plummeted to my death.

I took a deep breath in through my nose and realized the smell of a recent rainstorm was from the mist itself. I put as much focus in raising my tail off the ground and tried setting it out straight behind me for the extra balance as I stooped low enough to the ground that my belly was skidding across the rough terrain. The fissure was _so_ deep that, even with my extra sensitive eyes, I couldn't see the ground below. I was basically staring into the endless abyss.

To my left were a few loose pebbles, or maybe they were actual stones? It was hard to judge the size of things now when I'd grown several times my original size. With as much focus as I could spare I balled the talons in my left paw in to a fist and extended one single talon with a quick flick. I nudged the rock a few times until it was sitting just on the edge of the precipice.

I felt a smirk cross my face— _or do I have a 'muzzle' like a dog now?_ I use to love throwing rocks off hills or small cliffs back in my village to watch it plummet to the ground below. This was something familiar, and it helped cheer me up a little.

With a flick of my talon the pebble flew off the ledge and I cocked my head to the left to let my ear catch the sound of it reaching the bottom of the crevasse. My ears folded back a bit, discouraged, when the sound never came.

 _...That's weird...is this really an endless abys—_

 _—PLUNK_ —

My ear flickered a bit when the sound of the rock landing in what I imagined to be a pool of water somewhere far, far below. I carefully shuffled backwards until my spine met the wall behind me, letting out a worried laugh.

If I didn't have these eyes I would have walked off the ledge to my death. The thought made my stomach curl into a knot.

I righted myself and began moving forward. There was a small catwalk of sorts leading up the left side of the wall. It was just large enough for me to have a reasonable amount of space to feel somewhat safe. Ahead also seemed to be more junk in the way.

As I closed in on the debris I squinted my eyes, trying to make sense of what it was. They looked like large containers of some sort. Pots maybe? And they were HUGE! Easily the largest containers I'd ever seen in my life.

I walked a bit closer to examine them. They all looked...destroyed? Like something had crushed them, or—

 _—Or blown them up..._

Even with my new eyes it was difficult to see, but the large pots looked burned, similar to some of the wood and debris back in the cave after the Trico fired off lightning...or whatever it was they can shoot from their tail.

I leaned in closer and squinted my eyes, trying to get a better look. Instead of my new eyes aiding me, it was my nose that did more of the work. The smell of something...burning caught my nose. Not only that, but there was a strange scent of...of I don't know; a sort of _bird_ maybe.

I rumbling hum escaped me as I thought before the answer struck me.

 _This was the Trico. Both his scent, and the scent of burning material from being shot with lightning..._

I shook my head back and forth to stop myself from thinking about any of this too hard. I wasn't taking a leisurely stroll through an underground pit! I was trying to escape this place, and the Trico, Spirits forbid he finds me again...

I padded forward and continued past the partially destroyed pots, bumping a few of them out of the way with my head while trying to stay as close to the wall as I possibly could. The path had a small incline to it, telling me that I was moving in an upward direction. This realization made me feel a bit hopeful. If the pathway was leading upward, and I was clearly underground, than I was surely headed the right way, regardless of the Trico never having to come back this way to find an alternate exit!

The further along the path I went a different sound, and smell, began to reach my ears and nose. Even my eyes were picking up what could only be the first _real_ light I'd seen in what felt _like days_! The sound was easy to distinguish. It was a waterfall of some sort. Weather it was big or small I could hear it as it fell into another body of water below.

The scent however was...gorse, and made my nose wrinkle. It smelled of mold and water that had been sitting for too long. There was even a bit of fresh moss lingering in the air.

Around the corner I went and was glad when the narrow catwalk opened up to something I could safely stand on without feeling like I'd topple over the cliff to my death. I wonder how hard it was for the Trico to pass through here, and if he had as much trouble as I was having. I was small enough that I didn't _have_ to be flush against the wall as I walked. Him though? He was enormous compared to me!

I paused, and glanced over the edge to the abyss below before continuing forward.

 _Could the Trico have fallen off the ledge while moving through here?_

I shook the question away. "Of course he didn't fall," I said as I continued forward where the walkway opened up in to something suitable to stand on. "I would have heard him scream or something if he fell off...the—"

My thought died away when I passed in to the area ahead of me, slowly feeling my hopes of escape crumble away.

This room was _massive_! The narrow pathway opened up in to a proper size room with the one and only thing I didn't think of this entire time; water...a big, gigantic body of water. My wings and tail drooped to the floor and I let out a mournful croon. I was stuck. I wasn't going to be able to go this way...

I could only barely swim when I was a human! I didn't even want to _think_ of swimming in this dumb body! With how heavy I was I'd likely sink to the bottom like a stone also. And the water looked...disgusting... It was all a sickening green color with bits of film and foam, and other thing's I'd rather not know of, sitting on top of the water's surface. There was _no way_ I was jumping in there! No way! It was nasty. I'd probably get sick from going in there.

I raised my tail off the ground again and set it out behind me as straight as I could as I shuffled forward on my belly. This room was interesting, if anything could be said about it. Down below, off to my left, was a small spot of dry stone that was above the water and connected to another one of those large, stone buildings. It made me wonder what the point of these buildings were. Did people live here? The Trico mentioned 'Knights' being in this place, as well as other Trico.

A bit of worry began bubbling up inside me. What would happen if I ran into one of those Knights? Were there some down below inside there?

My mounting paranoia aside; there was a crack in the building's wall that looked large enough for me to squeeze myself through if I tried. Not that there would be much of a reason to hide inside there. If I hopped down there I might even be able to land on it, but what good would that do?

The water below was dark, and was probably deeper than I was tall. If I jumped down there and missed I'd probably drown. It was even more likely that I'd jump down and break a leg or two. Even if I was lucky enough to land safely, what good would that do? I'd be even worse of. I'd be surrounded by water.

Opposite of me was a waterfall, and a bright streak of light filtering down from the ceiling above. It was almost mocking! I was so close to the surface and _I couldn't even reach it!_ There was more surface area on the other side of the underground water-cave but with no way I'd ever be able to reach it without swimming.

Just off to the left of the waterfall looked like another pathway, or a tunnel. Still, how was I going to get over there? I shuffled along the edge of the drop to see if there was any other way I'd be able to get across.

Nope! Nothing!

I threw my head back and cried out to the sky, "Are you Spirits going to keep on punishing me like this!" I wailed. "What did I do to deserve any of this?!"

My vision began to bluer when I realized my eyes were welling up with tears. I backed away from the edge of the cliff and plopped down to the ground and began to cry softly.

"Send me a sign, Spirits! What am I supposed to do? I need help! I need _you! Send me a sign, or a savior!"_

My frustration and misery finally found its way to tear down the thin wall I'd created to keep myself reassured. To help me believe I'd be able to find a way out of this horrible place.

I sat there, quietly crying, and cursing the Seven Spirits for standing by while I suffer. This would have never happened if the Trico just killed me. This never would have happened if I didn't take that stupid shield. If I didn't try to fight off the Trico, none of this would have happened.

I continued crying until a sound made me go silent. The sound was coming from...behind me? I held my breath and tried to stifle my remaining sobs to instead listen harder. Behind me sounded like whispering, and then tapping of nails on the stony floor of the cave. Panic began to boil up in me as I slowly turned around—and felt my insides turn to liquid while my heart leapt up to my throat.

From around the corner came the massive frame of a Trico, but looking slightly different from the Trico that had transformed me. The other Trico was clad in scuffed and dented armor after the fall. This Trico had no such armor.

It rounded the corner and went as still as a statue. All my rationality died. I felt my tail and wings fall limply against the floor, with my ears splaying out on either side of my head. It was death—I was staring at the embodiment of the Spirit of Death. The Trico's eyes locked with my own and he gave a strange, friendly smile. Just when I thought this couldn't get any worse, to my absolute _horror,_ a _second Trico_ rounded the corner and froze just as the first did once its eyes fell to me.

The other Trico was just a bit smaller than the first one to round the corner. The only features to differentiate the two were their size, feather color— _this one looked a little lighter-colored_ —and the dark feather markings under its eyes looked to form the letter 'Y' under each of its eyes where the other had vertical lines of dark fathers running under its eyes.

"...Found you, Hybrid." was all he said.

Panic exploded in my chest. That familiar voice, the glare in his eyes that screamed resentment towards me.

It was the same exact Trico who had done _this_ to me.

My legs locked and I _begged_ them to _move!_ It wasn't until the Trico took his first step forward that my legs, which felt to be one with the earth, buckled. I mimicked his forward step with a backpedaling step of my own.

Suddenly the ground fell out from behind me, and my right rear leg was dangling from the ledge. I let out a terrified yelp when I thought I was about to fall into the water below. I pulled myself back up and glanced at the water below, and then to the two Trico that were holding their ground. They were close enough to lunge for me, and there'd be nothing I could do if they did.

' _YOU'RE GOING TO DIE_.' My mind screamed.

I was going to die, and there was nothing I could do about it...

Almost nothing.

There was only one thing _to_ do.

I turned my back on the two animals and faced the body of sickly, green water below.

And the Trico's? The one who had done this to me shouted only _one_ word—

" **NO**!"

* * *

:The Servant:

This water, in a word, was _disgusting_! If I were lucky, my wounds, which had reopened and began to profusely bleed after said water washed the clotting blood away, _wouldn't_ get infected by the green, pungent fluid.

Rising to my hind legs I planted both my front paws on the top of the rather small wall and clambered up and, thank the Master, out of the underground watery area. I turned and glanced back at the cliff, rather small in comparison to my own size and then looked to the rest of the cavern.

 _This_ is undoubtedly where the Human's journey would end if the little monstrosity ever decided to leave the cave. Where I had just climbed up might have not taken much effort on my part but was certainly taller than he was himself. Not only that, but that water was _deep_! It reached up to be just under my chin at its greatest depths. The catwalk area before this place would also serve as a deterrent. I could only pray to the Last Guardian that he would stay put and away my return.

I glanced across the pool of water to where I had to jump down to the water below, contemplating whether I should go back for him or not. I was still responsible for his safety as much as I _detested_ it. If he fell from the catwalk, or drowned in this very water it would be on _my head_!

"...No. He'll be fine." He may be reckless, having attempted to fight off a full grown Servant in his _human form_ , but surely he wasn't dumb enough to fall to his death or take a swim in water deeper than he was tall, especially in a body he was so unfamiliar with!

The memory of him struggling to follow after me once I had blown apart that wall crossed my mind. How he managed only a step or two before crumbling to the ground. I laughed.

"He'll be fine, Servant. Humans aren't _that_ reckless."

To my complete and udder shock, the Human-turned-Servant had _not_ followed me. I was surprised. I half expected him to chase me down to the ends of the earth after his little "I do **_not_ **smell," retort.

Down the narrow hallway before me was a wall, easily thrice my own height. A small 'window' of sorts was carved out, letting a rather intense stream of light through. It was the outside world! Again, I was surprised. When I left the human behind I was prepared for a long, arduous journey through the underground portions of the Nest. I was pleased to find out it would take no more than a leisurely stroll through the water area and down the catwalk to reach the human after speaking with my Master.

I padded forward to be just in front of where the light, streaming from the makeshift window, touched the ground. I heaved by body back and forth. The action began at my head and worked its way down my back and to the tip of my tail. I shook as much of the grotesque water from myself, wincing a bit at the pain the action caused.

I was still gravely wounded. The weapons I had been unable to reach, those weapons which pierced the upper portion of my neck, both my hips, and my right wing-muscle, screamed in protest. Whatever water had been shaken off me was replaced by streams of blood as they ran down the sides of my body and dripped to the floor.

I had lost a lot of blood. _A lot._ Enough for me to feel the draining effect it had on me.

I shook my head. "Focus, Servant."

The wall before me _could_ be blown apart. I brought my tail around and contemplated the action.

Worst case scenario; I burry myself and the Human down here.

Best case scenario; ... ... ...

Actually, legs go with the safer route.

At the walls greatest height was an opening far above at ceiling level. I narrowed my eyes at the inanimate object. How would I get the human through that anyway? I could jump up to its height. The human? Not likely. He would have to be carried...or I'd have to blast the wall to nothing.

I liked the latter more.

Enough hesitation! I lowered myself so my stomach was just brushing the ground. I bunched up the muscles in my legs and shoulders and with a great release of energy, propelled myself towards the ceiling, and in turn, towards the hole high above. My talons bit into the stone and I planted my hind legs against the wall below. It was harder than I had expected. Slowly, I dragged myself up and pulled my hind legs in so that I was neatly perched atop the wall. My back was scraping along the stone ceiling, and for the first time I relished the fact that I had this armor on to protect whatever part of me it could.

The sight beyond pulled a content sigh out of me. The surrounding area was lush, and green. The fresh air was also welcoming after breathing such stagnant air for so long. The wind whipped at the foliage, creating a gentle— _swishing_ —sound that helped me forget all of my troubles. I could almost pity the human, being stuck in the down below as he was.

I turned my head as much as I could, trying to not disturb the weapons sticking out of my neck.

 _Last chance, Servant. Is this the best course of action? Are you really going to leave him down there?_

 _...Yup! I most definitely am!_

Again, I tried my best to crouch low and picked out the exact spot I intended to land. As long as I could stick a proper landing I wouldn't injure myself any more th—

— _CRAAACK_ —

And then it happened... Of course it happened. Why? Because _nothing_ about this day can be simple!

The wall I was roosting on gave way, slowly crumbling as I lost my purchase. My hind legs were the first to go, followed by my front legs. I landed atop where I was roosting on my stomach; all my own weight, and the weight of the armor transferred to one spot, and one spot only. My ribs.

The impact dragged the air out of my body, and suddenly everything was...upside down? I tumbled forward and flailed in midair for a moment as the ground rushed up to greet me.

 _Oh, Master above...this is going to be excrusiat—_

The ground shook when I landed. It sounded no different than that human den back at the human's Nest as it came crashing to the ground. There was a snap, a crack, and the sound off flesh tearing.

The scent of blood flooded my senses. I let out a wailing screech of pain and rolled over to my stomach. There was a searing pain where the weapons sticking out form my hips and wing muscles were located. Or _where_ they were located. There was the feeling of saturated feathers along my neck, again, where the human's weapons were located.

I rolled the rest of the way over and turned my head as far as I could to glance behind myself. The weapon that had been sticking out of my right hip had imbedded itself _even deeper_ into my hip. I moved my leg and a searing pain wrapped around the appendage. I was pretty sure the object was rubbing up against my bone. The weapon on my left hip had snapped off close to my body, making it impossible for me to remove. Even in my wildest dreams.

Worst of all was my throat. My fall had torn the weapon free, but at the cost of creating a rather deep, vertical wound. The amount of blood soaking my feathers was, in a word, terrifying.

I rose up and stumbled forward, trying my best to walk off the pain. I continued forward until the very earth below me fell away to be replaced with a great expanse of the empty air of the Nest. I looked down to the ground I was standing on and a rather undignified cry escaped me. My blood fell to the ground. More than I was comfortable with.

I looked up and the Master's Spire loomed over me. My plan was falling through. First my plan to obtain a human sacrifice, and now my plan to seek out one of the Master's Telepathy Room _s._

Change of plans—I had no choice. If I made for the Telepathy Room these injuries could officially be the death of me. I need help, as much as I hated to admit it. I needed to get this armor off and these weapons removed. If I was lucky, the Knights would see my disheveled state and I'd be given a few Barrels to heal me. There was only one place to go.

I studied my surroundings and the location of the Spire. The Arena must be just on the other side of where I was now. If I could fly up to one of the Great Bridges I'd be able to walk across it and glide down to the Arena below. I'd have to go there regardless; our armor was taken off and put down there anyway.

The human would have to wait. The Master—wow, just putting myself before him could probably lead to my execution—would have to wait. I couldn't inform him of the Hybrid if I were dead! Surely he would understand that.

I limped over to the edge of the deadfall and spread my wings. Hopefully this would be the only time I had to fly while as injured as I was. I leapt off and did my best to ignore the spiking pain where the human's weapon lodged itself in my wing-muscle. I had to work my wings extra hard to compensate for my weight as I climbed through the air. Each beat of my wings was agonizing.

I made for the Great Bridge that ran above the Arena. As soon as my personal health was dealt with I'd make for the Master, and later, back to the human.

* * *

The sounds of metal clashing against metal rung through my sensitive ears well before I made landfall. Spreading my wings wide I beat them against the air, slowing my fall and landing about as neatly as I possibly could with the ever growing injuries I'd sustained throughout this mess of events. The sudden change in my velocity, going from a slightly controlled fall, to a damn near sudden stop, strained my already beaten muscles and caused a small stream of blood to fall from my neck on to the ground. It was only through sheer stubbornness on my part that I remained standing. The feeling of blood-loss alone should have been enough to me to falter.

' _Just a little further, Servant. You're practically there!'_ I told myself.

The sounds coming from the Arena were far more clear with how close I was now. What I hoped to only be the sounds of the Knights sparing turned in to angry growls and the occasional roars from my fellow Nest-mates. I limped forward towards the doorway leading to the interior of the large, stone den. This structure was one of the oldest in the entire Nest, and had been maintained the best the Knights could with its importance. In times long ago it was apparently used no differently than how we use it today. Only now, Servants were among those who took part, which confused me.

Why did we have to even battle against each other? None of the humans ever tried to attack us, and any other species out there who valued their lives wouldn't engage us...apart from the occasional human...like that child I'd taken...

My complaints about facing my Nest-mates aside, the sounds coming from the Arena's interior told me one thing; If two Servants were having an exhibition fight of sorts then there'd be a third monitoring them to ensure nothing got...out of paw.

Three Servants; three who would undoubtedly question my current condition. If they used their sixth-sense on me who knows how much they'd discover about what's happened. I'd have to force away their attempted link with me, which would only fill them with a new question—

' _What are you hiding?'_

As bad as my current condition was, it might be the best distraction to keep them from asking all the 'wrong' questions. I glanced down at myself and winced. If I saw a blood-covered Servant I would worry more about helping them instead of playing 'twenty questions.' Or maybe this was just wishful thinking on my part.

I padded forward and did all I could to hide my limp. As I passed through the doorway I looked down on the Arena's occupants...and _groaned_. Apart from the Knights, which I knew would be down here, there were another two Servants occupying the area as well. They clearly were having their armor removed. If anything, they were my fellow Nest-mates who had gone out for sacrifices late last night with the rest of us and finally having their armor removed. The other three were doing exactly what I expected. One monitoring the other two while they swiped, lunged, and did anything they could to down the other.

The Knights were taking part as well. Several down below were going at it with far, _far_ less restraint. I watched as one Knight parried the other before landing a hard diagonal swipe that sheared the others helmet clear off his shoulders.

I snorted. It must be nice to be a borderline immortal suit of armor.

' _Oh, your head was cut off? No worries! Lets just place it back on your shoulders aaaaand...good as new!_ '

Which was exactly what the victorious Knight did. He casually strolled over to his fallen comrades helm, lifted it, and walked it over to the lifeless suit of armor. He only made it a few paces before the suit reached out for its missing head. Lightning left the chest plate like a blast of energy leaves a Servants tail. It latched on to its missing head and dragged it back before reattaching itself like some kind of living nightmare. The Knight grabbed its helm and twisted it back on to his shoulders.

I lightly shook my head at the Knight's antics before returning my attention to the Servants fighting below who were currently stalking each other in a tight circle, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

The larger of the two finally made a move. My Nest-mate lunged forward and raised his right paw in an incredibly telegraphed diagonal slash. He feinted his attack, and the smaller of the two foolishly fell for his bluff. The smaller Servant charged forward, realizing too late that it was a bait. The smaller Servant received a devastating shoulder-charge from its larger opponent, stumbled sideways, and the aggressor raised his left paw for what would surely be a fatal strike if not for the armor.

Just as the larger of the two prepared to let loose the attack he froze, eyes widening and paw losing the force behind the swing. His smaller aggressor realized this and made to capitalize on the suddenly distracted Servant. The smaller ducked underneath the swipe and brought its own right paw up in a heavy, diagonal swing. The sound of talons raking across the larger Servant's armor was enough to make me wince from the sharp sound as it echoed about the Arena. The larger of the two fumbled sideways from the force of the impact, its legs twisting, before he landed hard on the ground in a small ploom of dust.

"HA!" The smaller cried in an _oddly familiar_ feminine voice. "And now all your intestines would be laying across the Arena floor, if not for your armor!"

The defeated Servant let out a low, angry growl. "Fool! That _did not_ count, Sister! I was distracted by—"

"Oh, excuses, excuses, Brother." she chided, waving a paw back and forth in a dismissive manner. "Being _distracted_ is no excuse when you're fighting for—"

She herself paused, seeming as distracted as her opponent. She gave the air a long smell.

"...I smell blood..."

 _...Busted. I'm definitely busted..._

The Servants down below inspected each other as they slowly began to worry. Several shrugged, the scent of blood not coming from themselves. The victorious female twisted around and— _Oh Master above. Can_ anything _about this day go as planned?!_

She turned towards me, seeing my disheveled, injured state. It was the _same female Servant_ I had flown with the night before. The same female who had accompanied me on my flight. The same female who had visited the Hybrid's Nest a full moon ago. The same female who took the human child's friend, later causing him to retaliate against me once I was discovered.

" _Brother?!_ " she shrieked in horror at the sight of me. Did I really look so injured? Knowing I'd been discovered I jumped from the balcony above on to the Arena's floor below, this time fumbling and crumbling to the ground. It was this very display of weakness I _desperately wanted to avoid_ showing in front of my Nest-mates. Not only was I physically injured, but now my pride had taken a small beating at my pitiful display.

Within moments I was surrounded by my fellow Servants, each of them firing off all the questions I was expecting—

"Brother! Why are you bleeding?"

"What happened, Servant!"

"Somebody find him a barrel!"

"Help him up! Don't leave him on the ground like that!"

Our species may not be the most social with one another. We did however, in our own odd little way, care deeply for each other's health and well-being. From amongst the shouting and questioning came the one response—the one. Damn. Response. I didn't want to hear—

"Somebody fly to the Spire and inform the Master that—"

My eyes widened in horror. "NO!" I barked. "Don't inform the Master! Just—just help me up, and get this damned armor _off of me_. I have two human throwing weapons in my hips that I can't remove, and one still stuck in my right wing. Just-just get them out already! Please!"

The female had suggested it. She stared down at me quizzically, with a hint of lingering suspicion in her eyes.

 _I couldn't have come up with a better response? I'm such a FOOL!_

She turned to the rest of the gathered Servants and began issuing orders to pairs of them.

"Enough questions, Servants!" she barked, silencing the rest of my Nest-mates. "He's in no condition to be debriefed. The health of our fellow Nest-mates comes first. I'm going to help him up and remove his armor, and those weapons. Get the Knights and have them bring the trolley over to transport his armor." She turned to the Servant she'd been battling and the other who was monitoring their fight. "Find him a barrel from somewhere, anywhere! Try and ask the Knights if they have one, or know where one is."

They all nodded and took of in separate directions. Two leaped to the balcony above to scout out for a barrel while two others galloped over to the Knights who were mindlessly observing us. They pointed towards the roof of the Arena—hopefully towards a barrel's location—and the two Servants dashed out of the Arena.

"On your feet, Brother." She said, nudging me as I began to stand. Once I was upright she padded around behind me and I lowered my head, doing what I could to assist her in removing this armor. She gasped a little when some of my blood ran on to the floor from my neck wound.

"What in the name of the Guardians happened, Servant? Wait...I recognize your scent. I flew with you on our flight before we branched off in our own directions."

There was a loud— _CLANK_ —as she pulled the lever atop my armor down. The armor fell from my body like water cascading off our feathers, and it felt _amazing_. The unwelcomed weight clattered to the ground and I lightly shook my head until my helmet crashed on to the floor.

I let out a sigh of true relief. "A lot, Sister. A lot, a lot happened, and most of it would sound like a lie or a gross exaggeration."

She moved completely behind me and I could feel her grip the disgusting human's weapons. The sound of the weapons being removed from my hips were sickening. I bit down on nothing, willing myself to not make a sound as the remaining weapons were removed.

"Try me. With your injuries I wouldn't expect anything but a ludicrous answer."

She moved to my side and grabbed hold of the remaining weapon sticking out of my wing. I held my breath as she grabbed it— _knowing full well this was going to sting_. When it was torn free my right wing flopped to the ground. She padded around to stand in front of me. I kept my head down, staring at the blood falling from my neck. "I'd really rather not speak of it until I speak with the Master fir—"

 _...What's that sound..?_

There was a crackling sound, no different than when we charge a blast up with our tail. I brought my head up to see the female standing in front of me. The tip of her tail was a searing, bright white.

"Hold still, Brother. I have to cauterize that neck wound of yours."

 _...Oh...hell no..._

Backpedaling away from her, I shook my head in protest which only caused more blood to run from the injury. "What?! No, no. The other Servants will return and have a barrel. It doesn't need to be _burned shut!_ There's no need to do—"

She rolled her eyes. "They're not going to find a barrel around here, Brother. Do you think barrels just are laying around the Nest? I sent them on a pointless chore so they wouldn't pester you any more than I'm going to after I burn that wound shut. Now hold still and let me—"

I backpedaled faster, damn near ready to turn and run. My antics got a frustrated growl out of her. "You're acting like a fledgling! Hold still or I'll _make you hold still_. I'm not going to stand by while you bleed to death. And I'm _damn well_ not going to let you run off with a wound so severe.

 _Nope! I'm leaving._

I turned and prepared to leave. I could fly to the nearest Telepathy Room now that the armor and weapons had been removed. Before I had the opportunity to dash out of the Arena a slightly smaller limb wrapped around my side and I felt myself thrown to the floor.

I landed roughly on my side, hissing up at the female. Before I could express how unsatisfied I was at being handled like this, the crackling sound from her tail filled my ears. Something with the intensity of a bellowing fire touched the underside of my neck, and then there was the sound and smell of burning flesh and feathers.

The sound of a pained screech filled my ears—a sound I was vaguely aware was my own. I kicked once, flailed twice, and as quickly as the searing pain began, it ended. I rolled on to my legs and stood, digging deep trenches in to the Arena's hard floor. It was a shock I didn't break a talon.

"There. All better?" she asked.

Several moments passed as I gathered my thoughts. Half of me wanted to maul the female, the other half of me wanted to stand there and ignore the pain.

"DAMN IT, Sister! I—you—gah! I'm leaving. I need to make for the Master's Telepath Room." I turned my back on her and prepared to leap to the balcony above.

"To a Telepathy Room? Why not just fly to the Spire? How do you expect to speak with the Master as you are now?"

Was that a trick question? What did that even mean. I turned back to the female who was sitting with her tail wrapped around her legs.

"Was that even a question? How else am I going to speak to him in one of his rooms? With my horns, of course!"

She gave me a very bemused stare. "What? Were you only aware of your neck wound and the weapons stuffed in your hips? Did it even cross your mind why I didn't try using my sixth-sense to get a honest answer from you?"

 _'Only' aware of 'those' wounds? 'Didn't use her sixth-sense on me...'_

I worriedly brought a paw up and touched the upper part of my head. That worry turned to horror...my horns...were gone. Gone!

"N-no! Nonono!" I howled. Where one of my horns once were was snapped clear off at the base. The second hone was broken almost clean at the base, leaving only a small nub that could only have been the size of the Hybrid's hones, if not even smaller.

My inability to read the Hybrid earlier wasn't from him being just that, a Hybrid. It was worse, far, far worse. My horns were practically no longer there.

"Wait, Brother. You really didn't know your horns were broken off as well?"

I glared at my Nest-mate. "No! Does it look like I had the slightest clue? Damn that Human! I should have just _mauled_ him in the caves below!"

My plans were ruined. I couldn't speak with the Master in one of his Telepathy Rooms now. They _required_ the use of our horns! There was so much I couldn't do without them. I couldn't connect with my fellow Nest-mates, I couldn't answer the Master's summons. And now I had to do exactly what I wanted to _avoid at all costs._

I had no choice but to confront the Master, as face-to-face as I could upon his Spire and tell him of my complete and utter failure not only to return with his sacrifice, but also the mistake mistake of _transforming him_! He was going to cast me from the Spire for all that had—

"Wait, Brother. What human? A human is within our Nest?"

I glanced at the female how had taken a few steps closer to me.

Damn it! And now I'd just mentioned something that no other Servant, other than myself, should be aware of.

I turned away from her and leapt to the balcony above, feeling surprisingly light on my feet. Worry and determination filling my body.

"How did your sacrifice escape you? And how is he down below in the— ...Knights!" She called to the animated armor behind her.

Again, I jumped down to the ground below. She was going to dig an even deeper grave if she informed them and they informed the Master before me. I charged her while she made for the Knights, pouncing on her and holding her down.

"No! You can't tell them! There's far more to this than you can begin to understand." She pulled a leg in and kicked me hard enough to get her out from under my paw and rose to her feet.

"What happened, Servant? Tell me now or I'm flying to the Master to inform him _personally_ that we have a Human within the Nest! You should have recaptured him, if not that, the Knights and Master should have long since been told about—"

"HE'S NOT A HUMAN ANY LONGER! I bellowed.

She took a cautious step back and glared at me. "How cant a Human be a Human, Servant? You're talking in riddles."

My mouth opened and closed as I searched for the right words. How do I even explain this.

"Well?" She pressed.

I stared at her, at a loss at how to explain this. My silence finally aggravated her enough and she turned, making for the Knights once more.

"Wait, wait! Fine! I'll tell you. Just leave the Knights and Master out of this. For now at least." I was begging at this point. It was disgraceful. A Servant such as myself, _begging_. She turned back to me and shot me another glare. I had to tell her. I was still injured. If she made for the Knights and Master herself I wouldn't be able to stop her. As much as I hated it, I'd just involved her, and it was clear my silence on the subject would only add fuel to this fire that was already beginning to burn wildly.

"I...I was struck down from the sky above. I fell back to the Nest and must have regurgitated him. When I saw him again he had the _Guardian's Shield..._ so...I killed him."

Now she just looked incredibly confused. "If you killed—what are you talking about? He's dead? If he's dead then what's the problem? You did your duty. And how did he find the _Guardian's_ —"

"I didn't kill him." I said, my anger turning to panic. "I meant to, but when I loosed my lightning it...it...it changed him into a fledgling Servant. He's down in the caves below. I left him there to tell the Master but was further injured and came here to tend to my wounds first."

If she was confused before, there wasn't a word for how confused she was now.

"You...transformed him? Is that even possib—"

"Yes, Sister. It's possible. He's down below in the caves to the south-east. I don't know if I can kill him now, now that he's one of us. Or half of what we are. I don't know." My shoulders slouched and my tail flopped to the ground. "I just know I need to inform the Master."

She cautiously made her way over to me. "Let me accompany you, Brother."

"What for?" I asked.

"What for? What do you think? We don't know if you'll even be able to speak with the Master with your horns snapped off. And who knows how long it'll take for them to grow back. If you get up there and find you'll need another Servant to tell him what happened you'll have to tell _another_ Servant of this. You already told me. We might as well go up there together. If you _do_ have to have another Nest-mate acting as the go-between it might as well be me. You already told me after all."

I let out a sigh in defeat. She was right. I'd be wasting time and energy if I flew up there, only to later discover I cant speak to him in the first place.

"Fine," I said in defeat. "But I want to do the talking. It was my fault this happened after all."

"I wont interrupt unless its completely necessary. I promise. Could you get my armor off me? If I'm flying up there with you I don't want the added weight," she gave me a mischievous grin before lowering her head, "Especially if I have to catch you if you fall."

I snorted at that while I clamped my jaws down on the lever behind her head to free her from the armor she had been using during her battle. She'd said the same thing to me nearly a full day ago as we Servants prepared to take flight.

"Ironic, Sister. Because I could have used your help with 'catching me' nearly a day ago."

There was a similar sounding— _CLANK—_ as the lever's mechanism dethatched the armor on her head, back and shook her helm off— _similar to I had done_ —and it fell to the ground.

My overly enthusiastic Nest-mate bounded past me and leapt to the balcony above, turned, and called down to me. "C'mon, Brother! Let's get moving before the other Servants come back!" Her enthusiasm was going to grade on me. Why was she even excited?

I chuffed. This was going to be no different than the flight to the child's Nest.

* * *

The flight to the Master's Spire—or traveling anywhere when you have wings for that matter—was rather quick...or would have been if I desired to actually make for my destination. As it was, I was stalling, and doing my damned best at it. We were plenty close to the Spire as we were now. Its size took up the entire view in front of us. All that was left was a steep climb to the summit of where the Master Resided.

My female compatriot, who had placed quite the distance between the two of us, halted mid-flight and turned to face me in a hover. I took my leisurely time flying to her before coming to a hover in front of her as well.

"Are you alright, Brother? I know you're a faster flyer than this. Is it your injuries?"

She was half right but I wouldn't tell her what she was wrong about. My injuries were slowing me. Just not as much as my lacking desire to meet with my Leader. My wing and rear legs were throbbing, even after the human weapons were removed. Not quite as much as my neck though.

Where she had closed my wound stung as the air whipped at it. I could tell a small patch of my feathers were completely burned away as the cool air up here bit at my exposed skin. Between my blood-soaked feathers and generally disheveled state my companion must have thought I was beginning to grow weary. I could play on that to avoid my lack of interest to go through with this.

"Between the blood-loss, human weapons, and now, a paw-sized burn on my neck," I shot her a half amused, half annoyed glare, "I've seen much, much better days."

It wasn't too far from the truth. All the sudden activity after losing so much blood was making me feel lightheaded.

My less than serious retort got a smirk out of her. "You're welcome. Whether you admit it or not, I saved you. You would have fallen unconscious, _again_ , if I let you run off like you were planning."

I rolled my shoulders in a sort of shrug. "I can admit you might have saved me. You could have been more...open minded about the solution though. I mean; _burning it shut_? Regardless, let me take a moment. All this activity topped with the blood-loss is making my head spin."

She gave a nod and fluttered closer to me. "What does he look like? I'm curious."

"What does what look like?" I asked.

"The Human-Hybrid," She clarified. "What does he look like? Does he look anything like us?"

Why was she so interested in the little monstrosity down below? I was doing all I could to forget about him even though everything I was doing currently was somehow tied to him.

My face scrunched up in thought. "He doesn't look any different than we do," I answered, scratching at the burn on my neck that was beginning to become irritated. "His feathers are the same color as a human's skin, and he's...tiny. About as small as you'd expect a fledgling Servant to be. He couldn't stand while I was speaking to him but he's somewhere between half your own size or a tad smaller. I marked him when I spit him up. So his feathers actually are marked with the black symbols."

"Wow, wait. He can even speak in our tongue? You two were talking to each other? What about?"

"Nothing really," I dismissed. "Honestly, can I tell you when I'm telling the Master? You're going to hear it either way. It's going to take too long to tell you the entire thing."

"I'm surprised you don't tell me what happened just to waist more time. It's clear you're trying to prolong this entire thing. But for what exactly—that I don't know."

I twisted my muzzle at her claim—which, sadly, wasn't far from the truth at all. "I am not trying to—"

The pointed, knowing stare she was giving me made my head and ears droop. She already knew. Did she use her sixth-sense on me? Or was it just this obvious?

"Brother, whatever you're worried about; stop worrying about it. You're only asking him what to do about this new Servant you created. You didn't exactly _choose_ for it to happen, and it's the Master's own rules that we cant harm one of our own. If anything; you're following the rules set in place almost religiously."

I rolled that around in my head for a few moments. What exactly was I so worried about? I couldn't have know doing what I did would create a new Servant. And if the Master never mentioned it being a possibility then maybe this is as sudden and unexpected as it is for me.

"I suppose you're right, Sister. Something about this is still worrying to me."

My companion casually began to climb in height while she spoke. "You're overthinking things. What did you do? Are you hiding something?"

— _Y_ _es. I'm running and hiding from the screw-ups that have happened these past two days; from the time I entered the human's Nest, to the moment I left the caves below—_

I wanted to say that. It was the truth after all. I was beginning to regret a few of my decisions; namely my decision to leave the human down below. I'd placed myself between a rock and a hard place. If the Master considered the human to be one of us; in that case I had abandoned a Nest-mate in need. If the Master saw him as nothing more than a human; in that case I should have killed him instead of leaving him in the caves and so close to the Guardian's Tomb and shield.

 _...Or maybe I was overthinking this all._

I shook the thoughts from my head and locked my eyes with hers. "Lets just go up there and get this over with."

She gave a nod and beat her wings as she slowly ascended the remainder of the way to the Spire's summit with me close behind. We hadn't even crested over the ledge when I felt it; the Master's presents.

He could sense our approach, which didn't surprise me. The Master could personally locate _any Servant_ within the Valley that he desired. I was more surprised it took him until now to reach out to me. The feeling of the Master attempting to establish a link with me made my ears ring as my horns began flickering and fading from the bright cyan color only to return to their normal state once the Master failed to establish a link with me.

I felt myself begin to quake when the Master attempted to establish the connection one last time. A small amount of the Master's presents managed to enter my mind. That small presents screamed in outrage and anger. The female must have been completely unaware of the Master's failed attempts to contact me. She seemed perfectly normal as we both strode towards the center of the Spire. I felt a flick against my side and turned to my Nest-mate who had swatted me with her tail to gain my attention.

"Brother, calm yourself," she said as calmly and reassuring as possible. "We're only here to inform him of what's happened and how he would like it to be carried out. There's no need—" She paused mid-sentence and her mouth fell agape. Her horns flashed to life in a bright teal color and she rushed forward to the center of the Spire and the large structure in its center. Just below us was our Leader.

Her horns were burning bright as she shook her head as if to disagree with something. It occurred to me what was happening; _the Master's speaking to her telepathically. But about what to have her so worried?_

She bowed her head low and spread both her wings out in the formal bow we use for our Master. I trotted forward and did the exact same, desperately hoping to not infuriate him more than he clearly was. The female raised her head and looked me in the eyes. There was a sort of panic in them I'd never seen a Servant have before.

"Brother! Our Master has formed a link with me. I'm going to try to do the same with you so all three of us can speak. He thinks—he thinks you've been intentionally ignoring him for—"

 _Ignoring him?! I can barely tell he's trying to speak with me!_

This was bad. Oh so bad. If he thought I was intentionally trying to push away his attempts to contact me...I'd be killed!

"Just form the link with me! Now!"

She didn't bother to acknowledge my request. Within moments I felt the presents of the Master and my Nest-mate within my mind as they both pushed to form the link. My horns lit up and remained that way, and then I heard him; My Master. I could feel my hackles begin to rise...he was pissed. However, he was trying to mask it.

::Servant, the female, that is:: he began. She bowed again and splayed her wings out. Her muzzle just a talons length from touching the ground. I mimicked her the best I could. My body was so sore and my mind was just as battered at this point.

::I thank you for informing me of your fellow Servant's...inability to speak with me. While I would rather him and I be the only ones to speak I will request you remain her to act as our mediator::

::It would be my honor, Master:: she answered.

I could feel his presents as he shifted his attention to me. If we were linked now, this was my opportunity to explain to him that my not answering him was a grave misunderstanding. I took a breath and swallowed as if preparing to speak. It was unnecessary however. We were speaking telepathically at this point.

::Master:: I began but was quickly cut off by my leader.

::Servant, I have been attempting to contact you since you shortly returned from attaining a sacrifice, then I again attempted to contact you once I felt you return to consciousness; for whatever that reason being that caused you to lose consciousness in the first place. Had your Nest-mate beside you not informed me of your horns I would have brought the entirety of the Valley's occupants down on you for ignoring me for as long as you have::

I felt my legs and wings begin to shake at my Leaders words. I felt a gentle nudge on my left, coming from the right; where my companion stood bowed down beside me. She craned her head up to look me in the eyes, willing me to calm.

She rose from her bowing position and I did the same. Her attention went to the antenna looming above us.

::Master: she said. :Please don't blame my fellow Servant for the inability to hear your calling him. He was unaware his horns were damaged. When he came to me seeking aid he requested I come with him here to act as a potential 'go-between' in the event that he was incapable of speaking to you::

My eyes widened. She _lied_ to our Master?! I never requested her to aid me. She took it upon herself...she was trying to protect me. She turned back to me and I sent her the most subtle 'thanks' I possibly could without the Master noticing. A small smile crossed her features before it vanished as the Master spoke.

::I understand this now. With that out of the way I have several questions for the Servant standing beside you, female. My Servant, I've been able to sense you down below for some period of time now. However, for some reason I sense another Servant; a stranger—an interloper—down below who suddenly appeared to my senses:: I felt my legs nearly buckle. _How does he already know?! How else...he can sense every Servant within or around the Valley. Why hadn't this crossed my mind yet?_ ::What is the meaning of this, Servant?::

I took a breath to gather myself— _Here goes nothing..._

::Master, I don't know how to approach this without being bluntly direct about it. So, here it goes—the interloper you sense down below...he _was_ the sacrifice I intended to bring to you...I turned him in to one of my species, accidently of course::

 _Silence on all three ends. The Master said nothing, the female said nothing, and I sure as_ hell _said nothing._ It felt like eons passed before the silence was broken by my Leader.

::You speak in riddles, Servant. Explain yourself:: He demanded, ::and leave out no details whatsoever. This isn't a request; _this is a demand_ ::

* * *

To my surprise, the Master took my entire retelling of the story surprisingly well. I had thought he would have questioned whether it was the truth or not. In the end, he seemed more intrigued by my telling of a human taking on the form of a Servant. I wished that we were only discussing that now. Instead, everything I'd done wrong was brought up...

:Master, I'm truly sorry. I didn't know what to—:

I felt a spike of pain enter my head that silenced me and I let out a low wine.

:Shut up, Servant. I'm well aware that you had 'no idea' what to do, or what you were doing. I'm also aware that you had no idea attacking him in the way you did would result in this. Even I was unaware this was even a possibility. However, you have failed me on so many levels that It's a surprise I don't clip your wings and cast you from my Spire. You left a human—or a Hybrid as you call it—alone, in the Nest, and within the _Tomb of the Guardian_. If you felt the need to dispatch of him—which I would have agreed with—you should have used 'reasonable force,' Servant. Your failures don't end there, however. You _ran_ from your mistakes like a coward. Say what you like, but don't deny it to me; you left him down there because you weren't willing to accept what you had done. Not only that, but you left him down there, alone! What if he escapes!?:

I _had_ to cut him off there. :I didn't leave him within the Valley, Master. He cant even _walk_ right now. He isn't even capable of folding his wings! It's a shock he even knows how to _breath on his own_ :

:I _do not care_ , Servant!: his voice within my mind made me wince. :This need to be dealt with, and I won't be sending you to do it alone. Female Servant!: his mind gathered my Nest-mates attention who had done her best to only involve herself when she felt she needed to cover me.

:You are to accompany your fellow Servant down below to the human within my Valley. Both of you have two things to take care of. First, I want the _Guardian's Shield_ back where it should be. Bring it to the lower Spire and hand it over to my Knights. They will return it to its resting place. And secondly—:

:Would you like me to dispatch of the Hybrid, Master?: I asked.

 _—Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes, please sa—_

:No.:

I felt the world crumble from underneath me. My mouth fell so wide that it could have passed for a broken jaw bone.

:But Master! He is an abomina—:

:Silence, Servant! I wouldn't leave the decision on what to do with him in your paws. I'm also growing tired of _you_ questioning _me._ You've proven to be _terrible_ at rational thought. And personally, I would like to see this 'Hybrid.' Acquire the Shield, and bring him up to me. The fact that you managed to transform him—a feat even I myself didn't think possible—has left me intrigued. He is not, and I will repeat myself to the two of you, _not—to be harmed._ You are both responsible for his safety until he's brought to me, and then I will decide whether he dies or not. Until then, you are to keep him safe. You, Male, more so than the female. You created him after all, Servant, and you will take the brunt of this:

I groaned, _loudly_. _Oh, sky above, why couldn't you have killed me with you own blast of lightning!? This is a_ nightmare _now!_ The one thing I was hoping to do— _to kill him_ —just slid right through my talons and on to the floor in a giant, heaping pile of shi—

I felt the female clamp her jaws down and drag me away, with me growling and barking in protest.

:It will be as you wish, my Master. Both this Servant, and myself, will ensure that the Hybrid is brought to you safe and the Shield is brought to the Knights down below:

I shook free from her grasp and glowered at her, and was she... _was she laughing at this?!_

:See to that it happens. If that Hybrid dies because of your foolish decisions, Male, I'll return to my original plan of having the Nest's entire drove of Servants fall upon you:

I thought he was finished as his presents began to leave our minds. Just before it did, it snapped back. I waited for him to speak, but instead he did something I couldn't have expected. He used his summoning signal, and oh sky above did it make my ears nearly bleed. When the loud sound ended I couldn't help myself but to ask. The Master, however, beat me to it with an explanation.

:I've attempted to contact that Hybrid. Unsurprisingly, he didn't respond to me. I told him to remain where he is. Now get moving, my Servants. Bring him, and my Shield, back to me:

I frowned at what he'd done. Real great idea. And he says _my rational thought is bad_?

— _Oh, Human. My leader knows your down there. Just stay put and let us come and get you._ Yeah, real stellar idea—

And with that, both the female's horns and my own returned to their regular, not-so-spectacular color as he left our minds.

I glared at the Female, beyond aggravated at the Master's decision and at her dragging me away like a young fledgling. "Fantastic! Just fantastic!" I groaned. My Nest-mate padded towards the Spire's edge and glanced down to the Arena below with me following behind.

"Brother," she said, cutting off what was about to be a long rant. "You should...really try to still your tongue when before the Master. You would never speak against his demands before. Why the change?"

That gave me pause. I wasn't speaking out _against him_ , was I? I thought back, and was a little shocked at some of my own outbursts towards our Leader. What caused me to act out in such a manner?

I let out a long breath. "I don't know, Sister. I'm stressed, injured, tired, angry. Oh, and now I have to sit on a fledgling that, wait for it...is actually a _human_! Its disgraceful!"

She let out a snort of laughter and rolled her eyes at my fledgling-like outburst. "Oh, hush, Brother. You're only responsible for him for as long as it takes you to stop complaining and get him to the Master. Then your free." She said all that with an infuriating grin. I glanced over the edge and looked down to the Arena. Just south-east of it was where the human was. It occurred to me I could probably go down the hole I created when I fell down into the caves below.

"Why are you taking this so well? Doesn't any of this bother you?"

She gave a shrug. "Not really. Personally, I'd like to see this 'Hybrid'. So, how do we get to him?"

All I could do was shake my head at her. This was my worst nightmare, and she was thoroughly enjoying it. I looked over the edge to where I was pretty sure I'd fallen into and pointed with a talon. "Over there. If we go down the hole I made when I fell through it'll save us a lot of time. We'll also be able to sneak up behind him if he left the cave where I originally left him."

"Great! Lets go then!" My companion threw herself from the Spire and I chased after her. After a moment I was diving beside her.

"Sister..." I began, feeling incredibly embarrassed. She turned to me and hummed at me in question.

"Thank you...for before. For lying to cover me..."

She gave me a smile. "Don't mention it, my friend."

* * *

"Y-you survived...falling down _this_?"

The two of us stared down the gaping hole in the Nest with a sense of disbelieve—my own disbelief far greater than hers.

It had taken only a small amount of searching. From the Master's Spire I was able to locate where I had left the confides of the cave after leaving more damaged and injured than I was to begin with. From there it was merely a fly-by over the trees and foliage before an oddly peculiar hole was spotted from above. It was surprisingly wide, larger than even I was. The only explanation was that the hole was here all along, covered by a layer of stone.

Even still, it shocked me to my core. The female summed up my thoughts before I could myself: "You're lucky to be alive, Brother."

I hummed in thought. "I think I'm even luckier than that. The hole must have long-since been here. If I fell to the ground without the small amount of stone breaking my fall before I fell to the cave below I would have probably died from the impact alone."

The thought made a shiver run down my spine.

— _I should be dead—_

I turned to my Nest-mate and flicked her side with my tail to garner her attention. "Lets get down there. The human knows we're coming—the Master all but _told him_ that I accomplished seeking him out."

The female nodded once and crept closer to the edge, determining the best line of approach to jump down to the abyss below. She spread her wings when something occurred to me. Something she should know unless this entire ordeal became any more complicated than it already was.

"Hold on, Sister." I said, extending my wing to block her path. "I have to tell you something. I didn't bring it up to the Master because it wasn't relevant, but it is now. It's more relevant to you than _even myself_."

She poked her head out from around my wing with a raised brow. "How can any of this be relevant to me? I'm only here because the Master demanded I accompany you."

"Yes, I know. But like I said; there's a detail I left out. A detail about the human— _when he was a human._ "

She took a step back and sat back on her haunches with her tail curling around her four paws. She gestured with a paw for me to continue. I took a breath.

"Remember when we flew together before branching off towards our respective destinations? And you were telling me about _your last visit_ to the Human Nest I was ordered to garner my sacrifice?" She nodded, but remained silent. "That night you acquired your sacrifice to the Master you said a human fledgling had nearly caught you—but the human didn't do anything to cause the humans to discover you?"

She tilted her head to the side. "Of course I remember. I was there after all, was I not, Brother?"

"Well," I continued, "that's the same human who's down there now, only now he's a Servant." Her eyes widened in shock at that.

"Wait, really? H-how do you know that—"

"Just take my word for it, Sister. It would require more explaining, and we don't have time. Just know that the reason he attacked me in the first place was because he watched you take his human friend in front of him and he did nothing to stop it."

Her eyes widened in realization. "So that's why he attacked you? Out of guilt?"

I shrugged. "I don't know—can't say I care either. Just don't speak of that night. If he finds out you're the Servant who'd done it, he'll likely run from us, or fight us."

"Attack us? Is he dangerous?"

I gave a short bark of laughter. "Master above, no! He's more a threat to himself than either of us. Just keep this little fact between you and me. If he knew it would only cause another dilemma."

With that little fact out of the way I lowered my wing and gestured to the hole. "So, who's jumping first?"

She grinned at me. "How about you, Brother? You get to enter the cave again and maybe land a bit better this time."

"Haha. Funny."

I advanced towards the hole and glanced down below. It was deep, and with my eyes I could just make out the floor below...far, far below. "Spread your wings the moment you're free from the tunnel—we might be able to beat them once or twice before we reach the bottom...I think it'll break the speed we'll be falling at."

She nodded in agreement and understanding. With that, I took a breath and folded my wings. I was confident this wouldn't be the difficult part. Getting the human to come along: that's another thing entirely.

I left down and immediately felt my insides floating about as I fell. I was falling faster than I would have thought; but it posed no problem. I could hear my heart thudding in my ears.

One heart beat and the cave's floor was becoming more visible. Two heart beats and I could see where the hole in the ceiling opened up to the room below. By my third heart's beat I had exited the deadfall and snapped my wings open. Thank the Master the cave's ceiling was tall. With two great wingbeats my speed broke. I landed surprisingly better than I would have expected, and far better than I had landed originally. Then again, I couldn't make for a worse landing...and I was conscious this time...

I _slammed_ to the floor. The force sent spikes of thorns through all four of my legs—nothing I couldn't handle however. Not after the physical beating I'd taken throughout all of this.

I padded forward and called up to the female who had yet to appear from the hole. A moment later and there she was. She landed atrociously! A sick part of me laughed on the inside when she stumbled and fell, appearing to be a large pile of muscle and feathers on the cave floor. I wouldn't dare to laugh though. I approached her and nudged her to stand with my head, similarly to how she nudged me to stand when I'd fallen after jumping down into the Arena earlier.

She stood and shook the dust and pebbles from her feathers as she glanced around the cave. "This is the _Tomb of the Guardian_?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No—well... sorta. It's so close to the _Guardian's Tomb_ that I don't see the point in calling it anything different."

We both craned our head about, both looking for our two objectives; _The Hybrid, and the Guardian's Shield._ To my _great_ displeasure neither was in plain sight. "Damn Human," I growled. "He might have stayed put if the Master hadn't all but _told him we were coming_."

"What should we find first?" My companion asked.

The answer— _for me at least—_ was clear as day. I turned towards the hallway I'd blown open to exit this accursed place. "The Hybrid. The Shield can't fall to its death or do something...stupid. He might have even taken it with him after the Master tried to form a link with him. One thing's for sure though." I paused and took several deep inhales through my nose. "The human was here, and _very recently._ The scent of fear is so thick I could cut it with my talon."

My companion took in a few breaths and nodded in agreement. "Hybrid it is." She said, sounding a bit too excited.

The two of us continued down the hallway in silence, and entered the large catwalk. A hint of fear enveloped me as I glanced down into the abyss of the crevasse. I didn't see a body down there. That alone calmed me. I must've been letting off a similar worrying scent that the human left behind because the female caught it.

"You ok, Brother?" She asked.

I huffed. "I'm fine as long as _the Hybrid_ is fine. You heard the Master; if he dies, I die..." I paused just before making our way up the catwalk. "He's going to be up ahead." I announced in whisper. The female glanced ahead of me then looked back to me, slightly confused.

"What makes you so sure?" she asked.

"Ahead is a large underground water area. More of a lake to be honest. He's not dumb enough to try and swim when he can barely walk on his own."

We moved forward and the sound hit me at the same time as it reached my companion's ears— _...Crying._ It was faint, but If I could hear it from here than the human was likely bawling his soul out up ahead.

I padded halfway up the catwalk with the female close behind and came to a stop at the large pots I'd blown apart earlier. I whispered, making an effort for us to remain undiscovered by the Human-turned-Servant ahead.

"Listen, Sister. He's—"

"Is that _him_?" She asked in something that was _a far reach from a whisper_. I turned on her, hissing at her to remain silent.

"Listen. He's going to either freak, or freeze at the sight of two of us. Let _me do the talking_. If both of us rush him I'm afraid he'll fall into the water and drown."

"I agree, Brother. You can lead—" Both our ears twisted to the room ahead. What did we hear? ...Nothing. He had heard us. More likely he'd heard the female and stifled his sobs. I glared at her and she winced a bit. Her horns flickered for only a moment and established a momentary link. It carried over one thought; :Sorry, Brother...:

I snorted and turned back to the room ahead, silently placing one paw in front of the other. I turned the corner...and there he was. He was just beginning to turn towards me and my companion. He clearly was crying, his eyes were a little red. He still smelled of blood and death. Most of the blood covering his feathers had dried and fallen off. He looked about as bad as I was earlier...or so I suppose.

He spotted me and I could _swear_ a small part of him _died_ at the sight of me. His ears splayed out flat on either side of his head that mimicked his lifeless wings that were resting on the ground along with his tail. He seemed to melt into the ground when my Nest-mate rounded the corner as well.

— _Don't startle him, Servant. But don't just stand here with my eyes locked on him like he's prey either!—_

I gave him the friendliest smile I could muster, truly doing my best to scare the frightened Servant. "...Found you, Hybrid."

I took a tepid step forward when the human did _exactly what I was hoping he wouldn't do_. He mimicked my action with a backpedaling step of his own. To my complete **horror** his hind legs fell over the edge and he desperately struggled to drag himself back on the ledge. I contemplated rushing him, _right now_ , but decided against it. He was already uncomfortably close to the ledge and the last thing I wanted was him to drown.

He glanced back and looked at the water below him, then to me and my Nest-mate, then back to the water below...or was he looking _across_ the water...

— _...Oh no. Oh nononononono. He wouldn't! He_ —

He turned his back on the two of us and crouched low, bunching the muscles in his legs, and with more power than I would have thought him to muster in that body, he—Oh, _Ancient Guardians of the Nest_ —jumped...

" _ **NO!**_ " I screeched, dashing forward and clamping my mouth down on empty air. I was too slow; I was too late! He leapt into the air—his wings remained as limp as ever—and then he was falling, falling, falling. I looked over the ledge and watching in _HORROR_ as his body slapped against the top of the water. I heard him let out a sharp exhale upon impact...and just like that, he was gone. His entire body swallowed up by the water below.

Behind me I heard the female gasp in shock as I chased after the foolish human.

I had one fleeting thought—

— _I won't let you die_ —

* * *

:The Boy:

My father always told me that admitting you've made a mistake is useless unless you learn from that mistake—so you don't make the same mistake in the future. 'Hindsight,' I think he called it. Or something like that. I was always told to look back on my mistakes and learn from them.

But what lesson can you learn if the mistake kills you?

It was like I was left hovering in the air for just long enough for me to realize what I'd done, and how irreversible the mistake I just made was. I heard the Trico screech a loud 'NO!' after I'd already launched myself from the high ledge. Right after that, it felt like I had an eternity to acknowledge my disastrous decision. One revelation carved its way deep into my mind as I felt to be hovering over the water, staring down at it.

— _I don't know how to swim in this body, much less walk properly—_

It was right after acknowledging _that_ , that everything returned to its normal speed, and my mind struggled to keep up with everything that happened next.

My large body slammed against the water, and it did everything it could _not_ cushion my fall as much as possible. It was like jumping stomach-first against a bolder. The little air I'd taken in left me just as quickly when I struck its surface. A heavy grunt escaped, and half of what I'd inhaled left my lungs in a sharp exhale.

I could tell I was sinking like a stone. I kicked and struggled, trying everything and anything possible to resurface above the water. My four new legs thrashed in every direction which felt to only turn me upside down. The water below was dark, as I should have expected it to be. Despite the stinging in my eyes I kept them open under the water and looked every direction I could. Which way was up? Which way was down?

These wings only served to hamper my already terrible ability to swim. They felt to weigh me down even more! I even struggled to use them as an extra pair of limbs to swim with, praying to the Spirits that somehow they'd work in my most desperate time of need.

It wasn't until the familiar, burning sensation in my nose, throat, and chest that I began to panic. My body was screaming for air! I couldn't have been down here long at all and my mind was already crying out to take a breath. I was struggling franticly now; little to no reasoning behind my wild movements other than one thing. 'Survive.' All my incessant struggling did was use the precious air up.

As agonizing as the feeling of running out of air was, my body refused to take a breath. I felt a small stream of bubbles leave my nose just as my legs touched the floor of the body of water. I knew which way was up, I knew which way to go, but before I could my pleading mind did a complete flip. As strong as the instinct to not breathe water was, either I reached my breaking point, or my mind did.

My first inhale was so involuntary that I almost didn't know I'd done it. As cold as the water all around me was, I could feel it as it clawed its way up my nose, in my mouth and down my throat. Sheer panic enveloped me and my mind went mad at the sensation of something that should have been so cold instead burning hotter than anything I could imagine. It was like an itching, liquid fire filling a small portion of my chest. The worst part about it was how fully aware of everything I was. Even though my mind was running on sheer panic I was still somehow comprehending of what happened, and what was happening.

 _It was terrifying._

My nose, mouth, and throat convulsed; as if it realized; ' _that wasn't a good idea.'_ I'd never wanted the Spirit of Death to take me until now. The feeling was horribly agonizing. I was all too aware of what was happening. Although I couldn't scream it my mind did for me.

 _—You're drowning!—_

As an invisible weight wrapped itself around my limbs the faintest, most muffled sound reached my ears. It was like somebody had thrown a mountain into the body of water with me. I could just barely see it with how foggy the water had become, or how foggy my vision was becoming as it made a rapid approach towards me.

— _Was it the Spirit of Death? Was he coming to take me?—_

Whatever it was, or whatever it could have been, didn't so much as cross my mind longer than it had; not when my body, fighting to survive, forced me to take another involuntary breath of the cold, burning water against my desire.

This time was different however. My nose, throat, and chest didn't convulse like it did before. Instead, I watched as the bubbles of air left my mouth and felt water cascade into my chest. The air left my body so forcefully that I was quite literally sucking the air out of my body and replacing it with the water. And again, during all of it, I was completely aware of what was happening.

I didn't fight to survive...I physically couldn't. I wanted to fight back...but I couldn't. All my legs stopped working. My wings and tail became nothing more than a stone tied to my body as my body began to flatten out on the ground beneath me.

 _...I was going to die._

As I felt my final moments in the living world pass me by I felt the strangest thing. I couldn't see it clearly, not with how my ability to see was dragged out of me, along with what little life I had left in me. Whatever it was blocked out everything in front of me, and then it...bit me?

Like divine intervention from the Spirits them selves, the 'thing' grabbed hold of me, encasing most of the middle of my back in what felt like...jaws?

The water all around me rushed past. Whatever clasped around me did so with so much force that I felt a small amount of water be squeezed out of me. Before a single moment could pass the stinging, cold air of the cave greeted me, along with the one voice I'd never expected to hear—

" **Dmn -ih, -uman! Breathe! Oo ahr not guh-ng oo die here!"**

Of all the things to save me; I would have expected true divine intervention before associating that voice with being my savior. In the bleakest, most desperate moment of my life, the Trico—who had all but ruined my life—saved it. I could feel him lift me so high that only my rear legs and tail dangled in the water. As hard as it was to understand him—with me being in his mouth his words, and what he wanted me to do, reached me.

I struggled to breathe. I'd so badly wanted to before; my _mind_ had so desperately wanted me to breathe and for some reason it was too hard too. It was like there was no room in my lungs left to hold air.

The Trico turned and my body limply hung in the air. Before I could question anything, the pressure of his grip on my back vanished, and I fell back to the water below with a _splash_. My body greeted the water and I was all too ready to _beg him_ to _not let me drown._ Before I could even form the thoughts to words the familiar pressure returned, this time moving to the scruff of the back of my neck as I was lifted out of the water again. I could tell he was wading through the water. Where to? I had no idea.

He reached his destination and unceremoniously dropped me to the hard floor of the cave with a loud— _SPLAT_. I had no idea what he was doing. Was he going to kill me? But why would he kill me after he just—

I failed to finish my thought when the distance between my chest and mouth seemed to shrink. Without any warning I vomited up a torrent of water; so much that I had to wonder if I'd swallowed the entire contents of the pool. Again, the Trico grabbed hold of me, only this time he picked me up towards the _end_ of my body and _shook me_ with enough force to stir up the fluid in my chest.

"Damn it, Breathe! Geh th rest of th w-ter out of oo!"

He shook me so hard I thought my upper body was going to detach from my lower half. Despite this; it did the trick. As much water as before— _maybe even more—_ exited my lungs. For the first time in what felt like ages I took my first, _real_ , albeit; horribly ragged, breathe of air. I gagged for several long moments, spitting and sputtering, as I hung from the Trico's jaws. Each breath was anything but simple. With the smallest intake of air my body used it, convulsing and spitting up what seemed to be an endless amount of water. When my coughing fit had nearly come to an end he lowered me onto the floor of the cave with a gentleness I didn't think he was capable of.

I felt horrible. I felt like a large, wet mound of flesh and feathers...which I suppose I was. I twisted my head around to face nearly backwards— _a feat I was still shocked to be able to do_ —and took in my surroundings. I was down below where the large crack in the wall was. The hole was actually directly in front of me. The Trico stood close to me, probably wondering if he needed to shake the life back into me. Behind him, peering down from the ledge above...was that _other Trico_. It looked down at the two of us with wide eyes. Its upper part of its body was hanging over the edge with its tail and hind legs stretched out so it wouldn't tumble into the water with us.

I glanced to the Trico in front of me, behind him to the Trico staring down on us, and then to the hole in the wall. It looked to be just large enough for me to fit in to. I still wasn't safe. Not yet! I not only had _this_ Trico to deal with; now I also had _his friend_ he brought along to deal with...which I knew I couldn't. The best I could do was run, hide, and pray to the Spirits they wouldn't be able to get me.

I stood on shaky, waterlogged legs and turned my head away from the Trico hovering over me. Without thought I rushed forward, headlong into the crack in the wall. I managed to stuff half my body in the crack when an agitated grown came from behind me.

"Damn it, Human! Knock it off. You're too big to fit in there."

I felt his jaws wrap around my right leg and begin to tug. I panicked, yelling at him in random. "Lemme' go, Trico! Get off me!" I squawked, still spitting up some of the water that had entered my body.

He growled and pulled just a little harder. I felt my body sliding back out of the crack and the lower half of my body begin to lift off the ground. With little I could do I did the first thing that came to mind; _fight back_.

I brought my left leg in, close to my body, and bunched the muscles up before releasing a kick that would put an angry horse's buck to shame. My hind paw struck something soft and the Trico _yelped_ in pain, releasing his grasp on my appendage. He went silent for a moment before his voice returned.

"Hybrid! I've had enough of these games! You're going to sit still. Even if that means I have to treat you like the fledgling that you are!"

I did my best to stuff myself into the crack in the wall. I don't know what I was thinking, or why I thought I'd _actually be able_ to fit through it. The pressure returned around my hind leg and before I could even _think_ to kick at him he drug me from the hole in the wall with _far less reserve_. My talons dug into the floor as I tried to stop him from whatever he was doing. When my body was completely out of the hole a _massive_ paw came down on my back, effectively pinning me to the ground. I struggled as best I could under his unbelievable weight, but it was senseless. I was pinned with next to _no effort_ on his part.

The Trico leaned down and picked me up by the scruff once more, as if I was a pup, or kitten, being carried off by its parent. I kicked and flailed as he turned and continued wading back through the water. I panicked all the more at the thought that he was going to drop me. I flailed my front paws out and tried to grasp on to the larger Trico, becoming increasingly more and more desperate. A strange sound reached my ears as I fought for my life.

Behind myself and my savior the _other Trico_ was laughing loud and hard at the scene we were creating...or that _I was creating_. It was the weirdest thing ever; seeing one of those monsters so jovial, and happy. I twisted my head backwards to the Trico, my savior, who didn't share his friend's amusement. He looked _really angry_ with me. The smallest amount of blood tricked from his nostrils and plopped down into the water below us.

"-Oo-ahr muk-n th-s a lot hur-der than it ne-ds to be, Hybrid." he grumbled. Though it was difficult to understand him with me hanging from his mouth I could still vaguely understand what he meant. This felt so _embarrassing_! I _hated_ being carried like this! Maybe this is what he meant by ' _Treat you like a fledgling.'_

As the Trico waded through the water a small splash leapt up and slapped my underbelly and I shot a glance down below, making me realize the deep pool below me. I was starting to get anxious, and a new phobia of water was slowly being ingrained into me. I twisted around to the Trico once more and in the most pleading of ways, begged him. I still wasn't sure what he was planning. Why did he bring me back in the water...was he...

"P-please, don't drown me, Trico. P-please—" I cried.

The Trico snorted, ruffling the feathers of my neck. "Do oo h-ink I'd just drown oo uf-ter every-hng? Don't be stupid, human. Your spe-es av- no logic."

 _That time_ I had _no idea_ what he said. He could have said 'Prepare to die,' for all I knew. I felt my ears splay out on both sides of my head. "Huh?"

He simply rolled his eyes and shook his head lightly from side to side, softly making me swing to and fro. I twisted my head back around to see we were moving towards the area where light filtered through the ceiling and the small waterfall fell. It was the area I noticed before; the area I wouldn't have been able to reach on my own.

When we reached the plot of dry land he released me from his grasp and I plummeted to the ground in a mass of wet feathers. I twisted, backing myself up against the wall and curled in to myself. My only means of escape would be to rush past him...like that would work...

He shook the water from his body and spat a feather or two— _my feathers_ —from his mouth before turning his attention back to me with an icy glare. "Now hold still for all but a shake of a Servant's tail and let me speak. You're making all this a lot harder than it should be, and Master above, this shouldn't be—"

" **I'm coming in, Brother!** " the Trico in the back barked all too happily. I shifted to one side as the Trico in front of me twisted his head around to face the other. It sounded...like a female?

...And then she jumped... Oh, Spirits. Her massive body entering the water did just what I expected it to; it created a tidal wave of water like I'd never seen before. I froze like a statue, prepared to be washed away. I'd just been rescued from a watery death. I watched in horror as a wave, twice my own size rushed towards me.

The Trico however, the male that is, saw it coming as well. Thinking fast he rushed forward, snapping me up in his jaws by my scruff— _AGAIN—_ hoisted me well outside the water's reach. It slapped my stomach with enough force to get a grunt out of me, and even make me spit up a bit more water. Admittedly; the water was at least _getting out of me_.

She doggy paddled her way over looking all too excited. What was she going to do now?

My savior dropped me to the ground and twisted to the female, bearing his teeth—if he had any. Was he technically bearing his gums? "Damn it, Sister! Are you _trying to drown him?_ I just barely managed to save his life!"

She paid him little attention as she swam over and pulled herself up on the rocks. I backed away from her as fast as I could on my new legs and asked the first thing that came to mind. 'Sister?'

"Sh-she's your sister?"

The Trico turned on me, his face twisted in to something of annoyance as his eye's squinted. "NO, you insect! She's my Nest-mate." I pondered that for a moment, turning my head to one side trying to wrap my head around what he had said.

"She's...your mate?"

The male Trico's ears flattened and he reared back a bit in a twist of shock and embarrassment. The female let out a laugh at my question.

"N-no! She's my—" he began, but was cut off by the female.

"Oh, Brother. He isn't like you said he was. He's kinda funny. He does look exactly how you said he does. I've never seen a Servant so small!" She leaned her head down, inspecting me and...is she _sniffing me!?_ I raised a paw and swatted at her, doing my best to keep her away. These Trico were _crazy_! Again, the male came to my aid and spread his one wing out, effectively blocking me from her view.

"Leave him be, Sister! This is the longest he's held still. We still need to—"

As the two bickered back and forth the male pulled his wing back in and opened a path that was my best chance of escape. Along the left side of the room looked to be enough space for me to run across. To where? Who cares! With them distracted it was my only chance to get away from them.

I stood and charged forward, pumping my legs as hard as I could to run around the left side of the female Trico...and got absolutely nowhere... A familiar, crushing weight on my back had me sprawled out on the ground, and then an _even more familiar_ feeling of being hoisted up by scruff reached my already rampant mind. She lifted me and turned me towards the slightly larger male so that we were both eye level.

"Enough already, human! Do you just want us to toss your body in the water?" I gulped. "Hold him there, Sister. If he won't hold still than I'll just have to speak to him like this."

I struggled in my captors mouth, but it was useless. With a sigh I went limp, accepting defeat. I was trapped, exhausted, and wanted all of this to just be over with. My struggling ceased. "Fine, Trico. Just...fine," I crooned. "Put me down and I'll stop. Just...just please don't hurt me." The male gave a nod and I felt myself gently lowered to the ground where I backed myself up in to the corner once more. I stared up at the two of them, shaking and shivering a bit. A few more coughs escaped me, along with a bit more water. With my senseless struggling over, the male righted himself and craned his head down to me, taking a deep breath to likely clear his thoughts.

"Alright, human. Listen; did you hear my Master before? I'm sure you did; either his thoughts, or the siren?" I nodded. "Good. As you can tell, I reached him. I spoke to him. Do you want to know what he said I do with you?"

I was almost too afraid to know. When I said nothing, the Trico continued. "He _didn't_ tell me to hurt you. He _didn't_ tell me to kill you," I felt a small amount of relief at that. But was it true? "He does, however, want to speak with you."

I faltered a bit at his words. None of this was making sense. "Y-you're lying! You're just trying to get me to—"

"My Brother is being truthful, little creature. I was there with him. He wants us to bring you to his Spire so he can meet with you. He even told us to make sure no harm comes to you."

I was still far from convinced. This could just be a trap. They just want me to trust them. "I don't believe you. You're just waiting for the right moment to—"

"UUGH! No, Human!" the male sighed. "Are all your kind this paranoid? My Nest-mate and I had _plenty of opportunities_ to kill you already. I could have torn your leg off, or crushed you, or how about this? I could have let you drown— _multiple times_! However much convincing it requires for you to believe us, it _doesn't matter_. We were told to bring you to him. You don't have a choice in the matter."

The Trico's glare was enough to make my shuttering come to a stop. "What does you 'Master,'" I said mockingly, "want with me?"

It was the female who answered that. "We don't know, human. We are simply serving our Master. For all we know he might just want to turn you back."

My ears perked at that. But the male's reaction had me wondering. "C-could he really do that?" I took a hesitant step forward. "Could he really put me back in my own body?"

"I have no idea, human." the male answered. "He didn't question my claims of turning you in the first place. It's not my place to question my leader. Surely you can relate to that—if you have a leader within your Human Nest that is."

It was somewhat true. I'd never question Chief Murakumo. It was practically treason to question your leader's wisdom. And what if he could change me back? Would he really just do that with no strings attached? It was almost too good to be true. I only knew one thing for sure; I didn't have a choice.

With a heavy sigh I lowered my head to stare at the ground. There was nothing left I could do. The Trico weren't going to let me escape, much less out of their sight. If I resisted them they'd just manhandle me and drag me to this 'Leader' kicking and screaming. I glanced up to the Trico—more so the male. What he said was true, and I couldn't argue against it; _he had saved me_. I should be sitting at the bottom of the water, dead...

"Fine...I'll come with you. What do I have to do?"

The Trico, both of them, glanced around the room and looked back to the ledge above us. "Do you have the Shield? The one you shined at me?" It took a moment for my muddled mind to remember and I hummed in thought for a moment. "I...sorta stomped it into the ground where you," I narrowed my eyes at him, "did _this_ to me." I made an effort to gesture to my body with my two front paws. I forgot I needed them both to be planted on the ground to balance myself before I flopped forward and smacked my head against the ground. The female laughed and the male just rolled his eyes. "Not this again, Human. C'mon, lets get moving."

He leaned forward and made to pick me up by my scruff again. I rose off the floor and batted a paw at him to keep him at bay. It must've looked pathetic—like a kitten swatting at a toy. "I don't need to be ca—" I had little time when the Trico lunged forward and picked me up. I didn't fight it this time. I just sighed in annoyance.

"Yes, you do need to be carried." The female answered. "Would you rather try swimming across instead?" My ears—acting on their own volition—pinned themselves to the back of my head. I sighed in defeat. "No. I never want to swim again..." She laughed and we both turned and waded through the water to the opposite side where I'd tried to stuff myself in the crack in the wall. The Trico lowered me to the ground and glanced above to the ledge, eyeing it for a moment.

"I'm going to jump up there, or try to. I'll place you on top of the ledge so I can drag myself up after. After that, if you _don't do anything stupid,"_ he placed extra emphasis on the last part, "I'll let you walk the rest of the way." I huffed at him and turned away. He took that as me agreeing. Again he lifted me up in his jaws and made an effort to be as gentle as possible while doing it. Maybe he really wouldn't hurt me after all? I didn't struggle this time. Partly to not make him any more angry with me, and partly because of the water I'd fall in to if my fighting back caused him to drop me.

With a great leap that made my inside float he was clinging to the side of the ledge. He lifted me above the ledge and I was let go. I backed away slowly to give him the space he needed to drag himself up. As I slowly backpedaled he gave me a pointed stare that screamed, ' _Don't run, human_.' A few extra steps and I sat down on my back legs. "I'm not going anywhere, Trico." I twisted my head to glance at the catwalk running along the cave's wall before twisting back to him. "I already know I can't get away from you two." I said the last part in more of a defeated sight than actual speech.

He said nothing; he simply dug his talons in deep to the top of the ledge and effortlessly pulled himself. Afterwards, my savior brought his tail around and prodded me with it, placing more distance between me and the ledge. "Just scoot a little further back, human. With how reckless my Nest-mate is I'd rather not see her climb up and crush you." He craned his head to look over the ledge before calling to his friend...or whatever she was...

"Alright, Sister. C'mon. Lets get the _Guardian's Shield_ and get out of here. I've had enough of this place for several lifetimes." At his call the female lunged up and began clawing her way back up the ledge, struggling a little as she put in the effort. His cheeks puffed out a bit as a sigh escaped him. "I swear; it's like I'm dealing with two fledglings at times with you. Hold still, Sister." She obeyed and stopped her futile effort to climb the rest of the way as he lowered his head and grasped _her by her scruff_ , dragging her the rest of the way up the ledge. Heh...better her than me.

We both stood atop the ledge and the two Trico turned, sauntering off in the direction of the catwalk with me close behind. The two of them hugged the wall while I was able to casually walk; a benefit to my smaller size. We were halfway across when the male twisted his head around a bit to get me in his line of sight. "Truth be told, human, I didn't expect you to go beyond the cave. I thought you would have turned back after you saw this narrow pathway."

I snorted at him. What did he think I was? A coward? "It wasn't that hard, Trico. If it wasn't for that body of water I would have—AHA" My little retort was cut off when I stepped on something...feathery...my _stupid_ wing. Placing most of my weight on it made me _yelp_ a bit in pain before I did the first thing that came to mind; let myself flop to the ground. The two Trico twisted around and stared down at me in question while I let out a growl. "These stupid wings are _stupid_!"

"Just fold them up, little creature." The female suggested. "It's easy; like this." She opened her left wing to its full length and, far too quickly for me to observe how it was done, folded it back up. I felt my head cock to the side and my ears flatten up.

"That doesn't even make sense...I've only had these wings for _less than a—"_

" _Both of you;_ just stop." The larger Trico huffed. He brought a paw up and dragged it down his muzzle in a fashion similar to a person. "I'll show you how to _actually_ fold them up when we get to the interior of the cave. You're going to drag them across the ground until they're raw at this rate."

 _Gee, that would be helpful. You could have shown me how to do that, along with_ other _things, before you_ abandoned _me in the stupid cave!_

As much as I wanted to say that I held my tongue. Even I knew where that conversation would lead; just the two of us throwing accusations and pointing fingers at one another. I gave him a smile that didn't quite reach my face and we continued down the pathway and through the cave. I had to be lifted a few times to get over some of the debris in the tunnel before we entered the all too familiar cave. The very place where my life had turned into a nightmare. As we entered the cave, the two Trico turned around to face me.

"Alright, human. Where'd you leave the shield. The two of us briefly looked around but decided to seek you out first." He squinted at me a bit. "I'm glad we chose to do that. I don't want to think of what would have happened if you'd fallen in the water while we weren't there."

The memory of drowning—not just falling into the water, but literally _drowning,_ my body filling with water, rushed to the front of my mind. I'd do anything to forget about that entire thing. I peered over to where I thought I'd tried to stop the shield into the ground. I couldn't remember exactly where I'd done it, so I instead brought a paw up and gestured with it in the surrounding area where it might be. "It was somewhere over by the wall. It's probably has a little dirt covering it though."

He made to walk where I'd suggested until the female rounded him and splayed out her wing, blocking her path. "I'll find it, Brother. See if you can help him with his wings. If he cant walk on his own the rest of the way out of here it'll make this take a lot longer than it needs to be."

Even I agreed with that. The Trico gave a nod and the female turned and padded off to where I had pointed. She periodically leaned low to sniff the ground; likely trying to catch a scent of the metallic object.

"Alright, human." The male said. "Come over here and watch me. I'm sure I can explain this a lot better than _she_ can." I obeyed, slowly moving towards him. A large part of me still didn't trust him. When I was sitting before him he snapped his right wing open to its full length and let it flop to the ground and turned his head up, giving me a bit of a grin. "This is what your wing looks like. I frowned a bit at his mockery of me. "Can you at least lift your entire wing off the ground? The whole thing?"

I nodded and did what he asked. It still took a fair bit of concentration to find and use the muscles I just learned I had. I raised my left wing, mirroring his right wing, and stretched it to its full length. It felt so _weird_!

He nodded. "Good. Now watch; I think showing you how it bends will be a lot easier than explaining it in detail, but I'll still vaguely explain it. Your wing doesn't fold in like a bird: so don't try to mimic them. There's only two places where your wing can fold in on themselves." He told me this as he folded a large portion of his lower wing underneath itself. I mimicked him as best I could, and it wasn't as hard as I would have thought. The lower part of my wing folded horizontally across and underneath the remaining part of my wing and I looked up to the Trico. "Oh-oh, ok. Do I fold it underneath again?"

He shook his head. "No. Keep your wing tucked under itself and..." As he said this he raised his head up a bit and exposed something...that I didn't notice until just now. There was a grotesque scar off to the left of his neck. The skin around it looked to be a burning, fiery red with some of the feathers appearing to be burned away. What had done tha—

"Human! Are you listening?"

His shout brought me to attention. I glanced to his wing, which the remaining that wasn't folded up was being folded upward and against his body. I didn't answer; instead I just mimicked him the best I could. It was a lot easier when I could look at where his wing was and copy how it was bending. "Ooh, look. I got it!"

The Trico lightly shook his head back and forth. "Good, now do it with your right wing. You're on your own with that one."

I extended my wing and began folding it the way I had with my left wing. I looked up to him again and at the scar on his neck. "Um...Trico?" He turned his head back to me. "What happened to your neck? It looks like something burned you...or something."

He gave a grunt and gestured his large head towards the female who was currently pawing at something in the ground. " _She happened._ I tore one of your human weapons from my neck accidentally. She...forcibly burned it shut." The two of us winced at that. He turned back towards her and continued. "Still—I'm pretty sure she saved me. I was in such a rush to get to my Master that I would have left and bled to death on the way..."

... _Saved him... Just like how he saved me..._

I finished folding my right wing in properly and, surprisingly, it wasn't all that hard to keep it that way—it sort of felt like it was locked in place. He turned back to me and gave a short hum in approval. "Good. You got it. Try to unfold it, then fold it back up. That way you get use to—"

"Th-thank you, Trico." I said, it wasn't very loud but his ears picked it up. He corked his head to the side an looked to raise a brow at me."

"For the wing? I would have had to show you how to or you'd just be slowing—"

I turned my gaze to the ground, absently pawing at the dirt below me. "Not for the wing. Well, yeah. Thanks for that. I mean; thank you for saving me...from earlier..."

He didn't say anything. When I looked up to him he had a an unreadable expression across his muzzle. I trained my eyes on his, and in the most sincere way possible told him. "I—I really could have died before. I thought I was going to die. I thought you were going to _let me die_. I could feely myself...dying. I knew I was going to, or about to, right before you pulled me up. I could feel my _very life_ draining out of me." Admitting that sent a chill so strong up by spine that I visibly shook. I turned away from him and tried to hold back a light sob. I continued pawing at the dirt on the ground—anything to get my mind off that terrible moment.

The Trico gave an exhale. It was quiet for a few moments which only made this seem all the more awkward. When the quiet was too much I brought my gaze from the ground and back to him. To my surprise he was staring at me a little wide-eyed with his ears splayed out.

"Trico?"

That word seemed to shake him from his stupor. He shook his head a bit and his features returned to normal. "The Master told me to make sure no harm came to you. And what is that word you keep calling me? ' _Tor-iko_?'" I was somewhat glad for the change of subject. There seriousness in the air was beginning to make me sick. It was like he was trying to push my thanking him to the wayside. Still, I jumped on the opportunity for a change of subject.

I laughed. "That's what _you_ are. A Trico...or what my people call you at least."

He corked his mouth to the one side and tilted his head. "You humans have the weirdest names. I'm not a Toriko; I'm a Servant. You're—I suppose —a Servant." He twisted his head nearly behind him and gestured with it. "She's a Servant. We're not 'Tor'iko'"

I laughed again. " You say it so weird. It could almost pass for being your name."

He reared a bit at my aloud thinking before snorting. "Absolutely not, human! I wouldn't _dream_ of wanting you to name me something as stupid as _Tor_ —"

" **Found it!** "

We both twisted towards the sound that seemed to bounce off every wall in the cave. The sharp sound made me wince a bit. The female Trico came trotting over with the shield hanging out of her mouth before—wait! Did she just **swallow it**?!

"W-we came all this way just for you _to eat the shield!?_ " I gawked. The two just looked at me, the male laughing at my shock.

"Don't worry about it, human. If I could spit you out—willingly or not—then she will do the same with the _Guardian's Shield._ Now, c'mon. Both of you. I'm beginning to miss the fresh, outside air." The female hummed in agreement and her counterpart looked back to me. "Pull your wings back in, human. They're splayed out on the ground again."

I looked down and saw that—not exactly to my surprise—that he was right. It only took a moment for me to right them and have them pressed against my sides. As he passed by—the other Trico close behind—the male glanced my way one last time. Our eyes met for the briefest of moments, and the most... _bazar_ feeling struck me. He continued past me while his broken horns gave off the slightest cyan glow. Practically unnoticeable if not for the lack of light down here. Above my head came a similar, albeit very faint, glow as well.

The oddest part was what I felt afterwards. The feeling seemed to come from himself. It carried...thoughts? Emotions? Something like that...

— _Relief, a sort of happiness—_

But more so; — _Genuine appreciation_ —

Appreciation for my thanking him. Relief for my safety. It was...odd. "C'mon, human! I want out of here and I'm sure you do as well. C'mon, Sister. And stop using your _sixth-sense_ on me!"

... _What's a 'Sixth-Sense'?_

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 **Author's Note 2:** _I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope it came out to your liking. If you could give me a review and let me know if it was good or not I would appreciate it immensely._


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:**

Don't forget, a colon ':' before and after dialogue means it is happening telepathically

 _After way too long, we're here. Chapter 6. So, two things I need to touch up on quickly._

 _First, lets start with something interesting._

 _Readers; The 'Nest' in The Last Guardian is insanely big. I've gotta ask some of you, what areas in the game would be nice to see in here. Due to the sheer size of the Nest in the game, it would be incredibly hard for me to incorporate every place we visited while we played the game. Give me some suggestions (either a PM or a review. I wont be one of 'those' people trying to fish for reviews. A PM would be just as helpful) of areas that were in the game that would fit in well while we explore the Nest. Part of the reason I began writing this story was to be able to explore the possibilities of some areas in the Nest. For example; the Coliseum from last chapter. I took it and made it into a place where Servants and Knights train against one another. So, in a similar fashion, what areas do you think stood out in the game that weren't really explained? You may just find your suggestion in the next chapter ;)_

 _And secondly; Where the hell have I been?_

 _I owe those of you who have been waiting so long a brief explanation. Simply put—having to rewrite Chapter 6 three times, by the third rewrite I had_ convinced myself _I was terrible at writing which lead to me quitting the story for a while. After that third rewrite I nearly deleted the story if not for those that reviewed and PMd me. After the 2nd rewrite I was already berating myself for being terrible. So by the 3rd I somewhat convinced myself I was terrible._

 _But, here I am! The story must continue._

 _Chapter 6: Let us not forget this story is being told in the present day by those involved...how are they doing?_

 _We're nearing the end of this story, believe it or not. Only a couple chapters remain..._

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 **:Author's Review Response:**

I'm going to move my responses to Chapter 5's reviews to the end of this chapter. With how many there were, I don't want my readers to scroll though all of them. Your reviews on the last chapter were incredible. I can't begin to say how much I appreciated them.

Again, thank you for your reviews.

* * *

 **:Author Bio Updates:**

 _If you're interested in how following chapters are going as they're being written, stop my account Bio to see what my thoughts are on each chapter. I try to update it whenever I update whatever chapter it is that I'm writing. People apparently enjoy it, I enjoy doing it, so I'll continue it._

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 **Disclaimer:** _I do not own 'The Last Guardian'_

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 **—o—**

 **:The Nest - Present Day:**

 **—o—**

 **:Toriko:**

 **—o—**

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"I'd spent the majority of the day scouring my village's books in the hopes to discover some sort of damning evidence about my ridiculous claims. Whilst I was focusing on this, little did I know that my son was very much alive, and in this very Valley you find yourselves standing in." Ueda paused, taking a moment to raise the Guardian's Shield above himself for the crowd of listeners to see, before continuing: "While I focused on _anything_ other than my son's fate, he and his two escorts had recovered this very shield, and were making their way the that large, white spire you see behind me. With a quick explanation about his _wings_ , the three set off, quickly making their—"

I lashed my tail across the ground several times, steadily shaking my head in bemusement at that last bit. My actions went unseen by Ueda, who's back was turned to me. Though, some of the listeners cast me a few inquisitive glances. Some looked a little amused by my continual antics behind Ueda's back.

At first, the crowd was limited to the few who'd seen Ueda use the shield's power, along with the Marked Child, Nina, who'd recovered it in the first place. It wasn't long before this small, misplaced group drew the attention of other humans and Trico alike. Several of our new arrivals had stopped in their tour of the Valley, instead deciding to listen to the story that started it all.

As the crowd grew, some of Ueda's recounts were...well, I wouldn't say ' _wrong_ ', but I couldn't describe them as fully accurate.

The trip to the Spire was _anything_ but _quick_! And a 'quick' explanation abut his son's wings? HA!

I had to _remind him_ on more occasions than I could count to not ' _drag them across the ground like a dead animal'._ Despite reminding him, I _still_ had to continually explain _how_ his wings folded, only to repeat the entire process over if so much as a blue-butterfly distracted him.

I snorted at the memories. Not in exasperation, but rather amusement. Even some of the most aggravating moments of the story didn't stop the nostalgic grin from spreading across my muzzle, even if bits and pieces were told with wavering accuracy.

There were several occasions where I had to restrain myself from interrupting Ueda's retelling of the events, but only to clarify some details that didn't matter in the end. His recounts of what I told him, before the shield was lost, were surprisingly accurate...for a ' _human_ ' that is. And even if he _did_ require my clarification, he wouldn't have received it.

Any interest in telling the story, reliving my mistakes and atrocities had left me. Even my interest in _listening_ to the events were becoming close to nonexistent.

I rose up from my seated position, rolling my shoulder and arching my back to get whatever knots had formed before resting back on my haunches. Maybe I could sleep through the rest of the story?

Just as the very thought crossed my mind, I went ridged when a surprising amount of weight laid itself across the remaining half of my tail. I internally groaned at the contact, having to halt myself from lashing my tail away from what was _surely_ a small human either playing with it, or...who knows what.

I resisted the urge to whirl on whatever was behind me. If it _were_ a small human, the seemingly unnecessary show of aggression would have done _anything_ but reassure our new arrivals that we Trico were nothing to worry about.

I flexed my tail, preparing to bring it in close and wrap it around my forepaws when the object began coiling around my tail. My irritation at what I suspected to be behind me melted away when another body, only slightly smaller than my own, made its presents known on my right flank.

Tori settled herself down on her haunches, keeping within my remaining right eye's field of vision despite knowing she was one of the _very few_ I'd ever allow to be within my blind spot. She scooted closer to my flank, making the distance between us nonexistent as I returned the gesture, further coiling my shorter tail around hers. She let out a soft croon as we both made ourselves comfortable.

The moment of silence between us was incredibly brief before she leaned her muzzle in close to my ear to speak—as if trying to keep a secretive conversation between us even though the onlookers wouldn't be able to understand.

"With a quick lesson on Wing's wings," she began, lowering the pitch of her voice as if to imitate Ueda's, all the while stifling a chirp of laughter, "they quickly made their way to the Spire."

I laughed at the word—no, at the _name_ ; _Wings,_ along with mocking her rider's inaccurate retelling of the story.

"Wings," I repeated, panting out a laugh at the memories that flooded my mind and how the name came to be. "I was such an _ass_." I admitted.

Tori gave me a lopsided grin. "I wouldn't go so far as to call you _that_. Maybe you were a little...abrasive towards him at times. But you can't say the name wasn't as fitting for him as ' _Toriko_ ' was for you.

My ears flickered at that and I turned towards her with a snort. "Fitting?" I questioned. "My name came from failing to pronounce a human word. _H_ _is_ name came from my having to continually remind him he _had_ wings to begin with."

She let out a chirp of laughter, slowly lowering herself to the ground on her stomach and crisscrossing her paws atop each other before resting her large head on them.

"Are you going to correct him _at all_?" She asked, glancing at me with her one eye.

I decided to let my actions speak for themselves, lowering myself to my stomach and crisscrossing my mangled, stub of a paw atop its counterpart—mimicking her posture. She gave me a heavily exaggerated roll of her eyes.

"Oh, stop being so lazy, Toriko." she reprimanded me in a joking tone. "You were more than willing to tell the story before Ueda volunteered."

I gave a large shrug of my shoulders in response. "He's doing fine." I said, briefly raising a paw to gesture towards Ueda, who was going on about that council meeting he'd mentioned. "Besides," I continued, beginning to let my eyelids shut—intent on my original thought before being disturbed. "You could correct him if need be. You know that as much as I do."

She gave a flick of her tail, either in annoyance or to keep me from dozing off in to a light asleep. _Likely the latter with it being Tori_.

"I suppose I could," she admitted thoughtfully before her tone changed to that of intrigue. "But that's besides the point. I thought you'd be more involved in retelling the events." "She pause before adding, "Or even _listening_ to it for Sky's sake."

At those words, Tori lightly snapped her wing away from her body, causing it to make a hollow _thunk_ 'ing sound against my ribs, dragging a bit of a grunt and laugh out of me.

I cracked my one eye open to see her staring down at me both inquiringly and hesitantly; as if she herself was unsure whether or not to breach this topic. She was suspicious of something, that I knew. And as Nest-Mates ( _not just 'nest-mates', but rather_ ' _Nest-Mates_ )—if I knew; she knew. It was as simple as that. She was particularly good at reading me these days.

 _Why did I even think that I'd be able to sleep?_ I was confident in thinking she wouldn't allow me to rest without giving her some sort of answer! Finally, I yielded—even if only a little as to satiate her desire to _know_. Who knows—maybe I'd actually be able to just _sleep_ through the rest of Ueda's retelling if I—and only if—I appeased her.

I uncoiled my tail from around hers; prodding her with it and said: " _You_ know how the story began, and how it ends." I took a paw, gesturing it towards the Trico that were among the humans that were intently listening to Ueda. I could only assume that they, the Trico, were only as curious as they were from picking up that _trait_ from the humans. _Nosiness, was it?_ "Any _adult_ Trico _know_ how the story begins and ends."

And finally, I jabbed the talon of my good paw into my chest feathers. "And so do _I_." I returned my paw, resting my head back down on my front legs, and coiled my tail back around Tori's before finally adding: "Why listen to what I already know?"

 _Hopefully that explanation, which isn't entirely truthful, will be enough for her._

I let my eyelids droop, confident that her questions would end there. However, a small part of me was waiting—no, _expecting_ another question.

I (almost impatiently) counted off the moments before she would either let this topic go, or press the issue further for whatever information she was digging for. My right ear swiveled in her direction when she took in a deep breath to speak once more. It wasn't that I didn't want to talk to her. I just didn't want to talk about _this particular topic._

"This cant _all_ be ' _old news_ ' to you, though. You couldn't possibly know _everything_ from the human's perspective. Can you? I mean," She gave a short huff in thought, "I never knew it was you being spotted in _your armor_ that made the humans from Ueda's village suspect there was more to what we were—what we were being _forced_ to do."

And that— _those few words, the mention of that despicable armor_ —was all it took for my façade to finally crack—no, _disintegrate_! The effects of that statement were all too obvious to me. And if I recognized their effects, than Tori damn well did as too.

My shoulders tensed, my hackles rose up, and my body stiffened as if I dumped in a lake full of frigid, bodily numbing water. Tori shifted beside me, and I felt her gently nudge the left side of my cheek with her muzzle.

"Toriko?" she asked. The worry was audible in her voice, standing out as much as my posture had just suddenly changed. "Toriko, what is it?"

When I didn't answer, she uncoiled her tail from around mine. I could hear her body shuffle a little, like she had twisted her head to the side to directly face me. Still, I kept my eyes shut.

"Toriko, what—"

"Let it go, Tori!" I snapped—maybe a little too harshly. To my disappointment, it did nothing to dissuade her from pressing the issue even further.

"What does it matter that it was _your_ armor that they saw?" she asked with genuine curiosity. "You didn't know either?"

 _No. I didn't know. It was yet another thing that I could have gone with never knowing. I would have rather never known of that particular detail._

After yet another nudge from Tori, I stood, rising up to sit back on my haunches. When I turned to face her, still laying on the ground, something akin to true bewilderment had warped her features. "What?" she asked once more.

" _What_?" I growled; trying to mask my inner turmoil with anger. "Have you _not_ caught on yet, Tori?"

She rose up from her comfortable position, furrowing her brows and tilting her head to the one side. All that my actions were doing was making her more suspicious. She knew when I was trying to mask my emotions. Just as I was doing now.

I let out an aggravated growl. "This story, Tori, is a constant reminder of _all_ of my _poorest_ decisions I've ever made. It's just a reminder of how I caused _everything_. And the 'armor'? It's just another example of that!" I said, throwing my head back in frustration.

Tori brought her paw up in a placating manner, gesturing with her head to the crowd. I twisted my neck to face them, only to see that Ueda had stopped speaking and was staring at me, along with the crowd's of eyes being trained on me dubiously.

"Is that Trico alright?" a woman from amongst the crowd questioned, which only caused me to gain _more_ unwanted attention. At this moment, there wasn't a single individual whose eyes weren't focused directly on me. I didn't cower at the many faces. Instead I took on a more defiant posture as if to prove to them I was fine. I lowered my head, narrowing my eyes at everybody. My glare caused several to look either away, down, or to Ueda for an explanation.

Ueda turned back to the crowd, silencing the crowd's murmuring and gestured to the woman who'd asked if everything was fine. He turned back to face me.

"Toriko?" he asked, raising a thumb up in the air before turning it downward. "You all good?"

I gave him a low grumble as a reply, gesturing with my head to the crowd and hoping he'd take the subtle hint to continue with what he was doing. He obliged, turning back to the crowd and stating; "Toriko is fine, everybody. He's just...one of a kind. Now—where was I?"

A flick from Tori's wing brought my attention back to her, effectively cutting off the glare I was giving the crowd. She looked annoyed at my seemingly random display from before. With a sound similar to a human throwing a rug open, her wing flared out to cover my back as she draped it over me, bidding me to settle back down with her.

I did so without much of any resistance. Suddenly I felt overly aware of how I'd just acted, and how it must have appeared both to her. _I have official dug myself into a hole. Now she's going to demand an explanation._ I let myself settle back down in my original posture, one paw overlapping its stump of a counterpart and resting my head atop them.

I didn't have to turn towards Tori to know her eyes were boring into me as if trying to delve into the deepest recesses of my mind. The only reason she wasn't using her Sixth Sense on me was to respect my privacy. Had she done so, she would have received all the answers she would have ever wanted.

 _Well done, Toriko. If you were expecting this topic to come to a close now you would be nothing short of a complete fool._

Regaining my original, impassible demeanor, I chose to give in to her curiosity. I knew she was worried. I could feel it hanging in the air as if it were something tangible. Not only that, but she had a history of being...persuasive— _even if it meant pinning me down and forcing me to say or do something_. _It was damn well close to going that route._

I took in a deep breath and let my sea of inner turmoil spill out. "Everything that's happened—it happened because of _my_ decision making, Tori. The 'armor' is just another example of that, and this story is nothing more than a constant reminder of what I've done." I explained, keeping my eye trained just ahead of me to where Ueda was addressing the crowd. It looked like he was answering questions; judging by how one human would raise their hand, and then he would answer them.

Tori didn't give me a verbal response. Instead, she tightened her wing around my back. I returned the gesture by seeking out her tail and coiling them together, then continued with my explanation.

"It was my being spotted in armor that began all of what happened with the humans. If I hadn't taken Ueda's son in a fit to exact some petty revenge I wouldn't have forced him to live out some kind of hellish nightmare. If I hadn't—"

" _That._ Wasn't. _You,_ Toriko." she cut in. It was said as sharply as it was sternly, causing me to shift my weight uncomfortably at the seriousness of her tone.

"You can't blame yourself for any of those actions while you—while _we_ were under _his_ rule."

When I turned to face her, she was leveling me with a sort of stare that _screamed_ how intolerant she was of my mindset, but not scorning me for it. All I could do was stare back at her, owl-eyed, searching for some sort of a response. My mind halted in its tracks though, and she took it as an opportunity to press forward with her assertion.

"I did _just as much_ wrongful things while under _his_ rule as you did. Some of those things even affected Ueda. Or at least his village. But _we weren't then as we are_ now—we weren't 'Trico'. We were ' _Servants_.' We were what we thought _he_ made us. We did what we thought was our _purpose_ before finding a new purpose entirely."

I continued staring in to her eyes, blankly—still searching my mind for something to disagree with her with. I wasn't _searching_ for a reason to drown myself in a sea of self loathing. It just...was. Before I could think of anything to respond with, she pressed her point with something I hadn't heard in _years_.

" ' _I am not what you made me. I am whatever I choose to make of myself_.' "

I went as still as a corpse. The last time I'd heard that was seasons ago. It echoed throughout my mind, causing memories to flare up at the first time it had ever been spoken—spoken by my closest friend that instilled something in me. Something that inspired me to oppose everything that I'd ever known. There was _nothing_ I could respond with against that, and it was probably why she chose to say it to begin with. I lived by that quote, and believed it just as much as the being who'd said it had.

When my mind cleared, a small amount of weight seemed to be lifted off of me; helping me remember who I was now. Not who I was then. I wasn't ' _The Servant_.' I was ' _Toriko_ '.

"You're right," I admitted in a hushed tone, lowering my gaze to the ground and saying the first thing that came to mind.

"It still shouldn't have ended how it did." I murmured.

A light pressure from under my chin cause my head to rise up and stare out towards Ueda, the Trico, and the crowd of listeners. Even now, after so many seasons, the sight was sometimes hard to believe. Humans and Trico alike, coexisting together as if the past was nothing but a prolonged nightmare.

"But it did," she said softly, my eyes still gazing forward. "Everything that happened, happened for a reason. Think back to how things _were_ and compare them to how things _are_."

I did just thank, recalling everything that happened in what felt like ages ago. The hostilities, lies, and bloodshed of the past flashed in my mind's eye before I locked them away once more.

The pressure left my chin and my head slumped forward for a moment before I turned to face Tori as she continued.

"You can't scrutinize your actions without seeing all the good that came from them. If you hadn't caused the boulder to start rolling, where would we be now? Your actions, _and his,_ led us in to this new age of peace, and—"

"Wait! Hold on!" Somebody cried out from the crowd. The sudden sound caused my head to snap back to the crowd where a man had a finger leveled towards me, resentment and disbelief highlighting his features.

" _Toriko_ , that Trico, was the Trico that changed your son?!" he yelled. "How in the name of the Seven Spirits can you so much as _stand_ in his presents?!"

The voice of the human, filled with something akin to disgust and resentment, cut through the air as if it were as spear as it bore into me. My mind, caught somewhere between the past and present, took several seconds to comprehend what he'd just said. A low growl resonated in the back of my throat, and my body rose from the ground on its own volition, knocking Tori's wing from my back that she had draped over me.

I took one menacing step forward and snarled in the man's direction—not caring that my words would come out as nothing more than a slew of animalistic sounds.

" _Don't_ speak of what you know so little about, _human_! You know _none_ of the details behind my past actions." I spat, venom practically dripping from my mouth.

The man, whoever it had been, reacted just as I expected him to. He took several steps backwards, vanishing into to crowd of faces. His features had gone from riotousness to damn near uncontainable fear as I leered at him.

Before I could take another step forward, my path was blocked by Tori who had rounded on me; blocking my path with the length of her body and acting as a barrier between me and the human foolish enough to spat what he just had. Just beyond Tori I could make out Ueda who had his arms raised up in a manner to silence the crowd who had erupted in to a cacophony of indiscernible words.

Ueda took a heavy step forward, lowering his one and to disappear somewhere in front of his face. At that, there was a piercing sound—a whistle? The shrill noise was so loud that I was forced to pin my ears to my head in an attempt to muffle the sound. The high pitch had a similar effect on Tori as it did the Trico spread out amongst the humans. Tori visibly cringed, having been closer to the individual that had created it.

The humans who were in disarray only moments ago settled as quickly as they'd been riled up. Most had taken several scrambling steps backwards. I realized at that moment how close to them my legs had carried me.

When the murmurs of the group had finally died off to trace whispers, Ueda spoke up.

"Enough!" Ueda shouted, his commanding voice I'd not heard since the darker days washed over the crowd of many listeners. He turned his head to and fro, either seeking out the individual who had caused everybody to fall into disarray or making an effort to show he was speaking to the crowd in its entirety.

"That _is_ the same Trico who both _took_ and _changed_ my son," he stated sternly. "And he is _also_ my friend regardless of the past!" He paused for several moments as he took to time to stare out at the group pointedly. More humans appeared to be shocked at Ueda's declaration. Not at his admission that I was his friend— _and a close one at that_ —but rather that I was that same Trico—if some were too dense to have picked it up.

"Look around you! We humans and Trico—we are not standing amongst each other in this Valley because of any grudges we may harbor towards one another. We stand beside each other as _allies_ , not as enemies. And for that, that requires forgiveness and acceptance on both sides. My relationship with Toriko," he leveled a finger backwards to point at me while still maintaining eye contact with the shocked crowd, "is a prime example of letting go of what had once happened between our species."

Ueda spun on his heel to face me. I tried to send my thoughts to him, only to realize that the link formed by using the shield had broken. After years without being able to communicate I could tell by his eyes alone what he was asking.

I nodded my head to him, letting out a sharp chirp to tell him that I had calmed as well. He turned back to the crowd just as Tori rounded me once more to stand on my left, disappearing in my blind spot.

Again, it didn't matter to me. I could guarantee it was unintentional on her part. There were few I'd allow to stand where I couldn't see them. She and Ueda were among the few.

 _Then again...if she thought I'd personally seek out the man who'd said what he did, it would do her well to remain where I couldn't see her and making it easier to restrain me if it came to that_.

I shook the thought from my head. It didn't matter.

I sat back on my haunches, swishing my tail violently in the air as I seeked out Tori. It thudded against her flank—or what I assumed to be her flank—which caused her to grunt. I winced a bit at having struck her unintentionally.

I let out a meek "Sorry" as we entwined our tails around each others. She seated herself, possibly mimicking my own posture as she shuffled closer to my left flank.

"It's alright, Toriko," she admonished. "You ok?"

"I'm fine," I grumbled. "That question came at...a bad time I suppose."

"It's to be expected, honestly. I mean; remember how I reacted when you told me what you did to Wings?"

I snorted in amusement at that. "Oh yes. I remember."

We sat beside each other in silence as I stared at Ueda from behind. Said man was currently scratching at his head in thought; likely trying to recall where he'd left off before what had just occurred.

"Toriko?"

I flicked my left ear to show her I was listening.

"What exactly were you going to do to that human?" she asked hesitantly.

I scoffed. _Did she actually think I was going to kill him?_ I let a wide grin spread across my muzzle as I puffed my chest out proudly, adopting a sort of regal pose.

"Sit on him," I said proudly.

Her response didn't come right away. I could almost _feel_ her giving me a deadpan stare.

"...Really, Toriko?" she asked monotone.

I chirped out a laugh. "It would have been far less than what he was deserving of. And for the love of the Guardian, Tori. Would you get out of my blind spot so I can see you?"

"Oh, aah...sorry!" she squeaked, abruptly standing and jostling my side. A moment later and she appeared in the peripherals of my right.

"Now then, no more questions. Where did I leave off before all that?" Ueda asked nobody in particular, causing me to stare down at him. He turned to face me as if to receive some sort of answer. When I gave him a large shrug, he eyed me with annoyance as if saying, " _Thanks for nothing._ "

Truthfully, I had no idea where he had left off. Tori's company, even if she had brought up a rather sensitive topic, was welcoming nonetheless. She had even whisked my attention away from the story being told, which was what I was desperately hoping for.

When he received no answer from me, it was Nina, the Marked Child, who had called out from the front of the crowd.

"You said how you found all the information you could within the books and you were just beginning how your son and the two...' _Servants_ ' were rushing to the Spire."

I heard a very pronounced _snap_ of Ueda's fingers. "Ah, yes. So, the three were swiftly making their way towards the Spire with few inconveniences—"

"Ueda!" I barked, stamping the ground to emphasize my annoyance. "Are you making this up as you go? The trip, in of itself, _was_ an inconvenience! For Sky's sake, human, I had to nearly _carry_ him a portion of the way!"

The sound gained Ueda's attention, along with— _yet again_ —much of the crowd. The large group of listener were beginning to take an interest in my continual, albeit minor, interruptions. Several brought a hand to their mouths to stifle a laugh. While the humans couldn't have known what I was saying, it was obvious to the most casual observer that I was disagreeing with him.

Beside me, Tori snickered, unfurling a wing to lightly slap my flank.

"Would you just _correct_ him already? I can tell you're as eager to correct him as you are reluctant."

I opened my mouth to reply but was quickly cut off by her.

"I get it, Toriko. It's not a comfortable topic. But you cant just burry the past and pretend like it never happened."

I stumbled for a retort when she brought a paw up, clamping it around my muzzle. "You have an opportunity to speak on behalf of everyone who fought to get us to where we are. An opportunity to speak for those who sacrificed _everything_ for the sake of all of us."

 _Damn it. When Tori was right, she was right —about everything._ I was admittedly eager as I was reluctant. It was an uncomfortable topic. And in spite of all that, I was intentionally choosing my own comfort above all else. With the shield in our possession once again, the communication barrier that separated us for seasons could finally crumble. It would be wrongful of me to withhold all that had happened for my own comfort. _How could I be_ that _much of a coward_?

With a sigh of defeat, I shook Tori's paw from my muzzle, taking a wordless step towards Ueda who was staring up at me. He appeared annoyed at, again, being interrupted.

I lowered myself to his eye-level, puffing out a bit of air and blinking my eyes rapidly. He glanced down at the shield that he had attached to his hip for only a moment before grasping it by its handle. Thank the Guardian's the communication barrier between the two of us was little more than a nuisance. After three years of being forced to play charades with one another my request was rather easy to pick up on.

He brought the shield up, aiming it just off to my left as a brilliant stream of green and cyan left the shield. The blinding light was dragged across my face, then there was the familiar sensation of our minds being linked.

He lowered the shield, mumbling how he was never going to finish the story with so many interruptions.

"Yes, Toriko?"

:Link me with the crowd: I demanded, getting right to the point. :Not just a few of them. Link me with _all_ of them:

He gave me a skeptical look. "This isn't about the man from—"

:No, Ueda. Quit your worrying. I wouldn't have the first words the humans hear from a Trico be something foolish:

He gave me a wide grin. "Finally going to help me? It took you long enough." Ueda glanced over to my Nest-Mate. "Did Tori have to _force you_ to come and help me?"

I scoffed, huffing a wall of air at him that caused him to stumble a step backwards. The action made his grin widen. He already knew she had played a part in my decision.

:Just do it before I change my mind:

That ws all the encouragement he needed. He turned on his heel to face the crowd, not even bothering to explain to the crowd what he was about to do. I imagined he wanted to see their reaction at _hearing_ one of my species speak directly to them for the first time.

He held the shield up, this time raising the shield up and pointing it above his head and towards the sky. The crowd went in to a chorus of 'Oos' and Aahs' as they watched the shield's light expand overhead. It began as a typical, dense beam of light that cut through the air before expanding overhead, widening in to a cone-like-shape that's size only grew the further away it traveled.

Once he felt the beam of light had grown wide enough he quickly brought the mass of light down upon the crowd in its entirety. This was yet another ability of the shield. Its purpose was not for a single human to speak between our species, but rather to allow massive groups to speak amongst each other, thereby shattering the communication barrier between our species.

The crowd gasped, unsure of what Ueda was doing. Some of the humans even ducked low to the ground as if under attack by a hawk. The shield let out a _thrumming_ sound, showing that it had done its job connecting with the mass of humans. When he turned back to face me however, there was a sort of fiendish grin. Not only that, but he wasn't aiming the shield at me. Instead it was pointed just off to my right.

The shield's light contracted, returning to a solid beam of light that shot parallel to me.

 _What the...what is he—_

I twisted my head around to see what he was aiming at...and froze.

Behind me, Tori had brought a paw up to rub at her eyes as her horns flashed a variety of colors. A wide grin spread across my muzzle. "Looks like you _do_ get to help, Tori!" I called to her in a teasing tone.

When I turned back to face Ueda, instead of being greeted by my friend I was instead greeted by a blinding flash of the shield's light, along with a plethora of minds being linked to my own. I _yelped_ in surprise. Both at how unexpected it was and the alien feeling of being linked to so many others. It took several shakes of my head to clear my clouded thoughts to their original state of clarity.

I let out a low, nonthreatening grown that was more out of annoyance than anger. Beside me, Tori appeared in my right peripheral, staring down at Ueda. I could tell she seemed a little nervous—likely at being so suddenly incorporated in aiding both myself and Ueda with our tale. Her ears were pinned back and her head was lowered slightly as to not see the entire crowd.

"Tori!" Ueda greeted cheerfully. "If you're going to insist that Toriko breaks his silence then perhaps you should as well."

She gave him a snort in reply, shifting her weight uncomfortably. :You could have warned me, Ueda. And why link me with the entire crowd? I don't know nearly as much as the two of you:

"You know plenty," he corrected. "Besides, you were traveling alongside Toriko as the three of you made your way to the Spire. So, you can help clarify if need be." Ueda turned to face me, eying the one side of my neck where a patch of feathers were a lighter color and considerably sparse compared to the rest of me before adding; "And Spirits know you'd never have gotten as far as you did without her, Toriko."

I brought a paw up to the patch of thinned out feathers on my neck whose lighter color stood out in stark contrast to the rest of me. I could still feel the small scar underneath my feathers where Tori had cauterized my life threatening wound.

I gave him a deadpan stare, absently rubbing at my neck when a phantom pain from that moment decided to flare up. :Oh yea: I droned. :What would I have done without...her?:

At that moment, I realized how silent everything had become.

The Valley had quieted so much that I could hear my heart thudding in my ears. I turned to face the crowd of listeners whose faces appeared to be frozen in shock and awe. Several had their mouths hanging open. It was only after I turned to face them that they began murmuring in disbelief at what they were hearing; an entirely different species having a discussion with one of their own, and it being heard.

Finally, from amongst the crowd, one questioned "Are the Trico really talking?"

I glanced downward to where the question had come from. It was the Marked Child, Nina, who had recovered the shield.

I took several steps forward, looking over the crowd as I took in the variety of disbelieving expressions. Several humans in the front of the crowd took several tepid steps back, likely those who'd only just arrived. The only acceptation was the Marked Child who stared up at me dumbfounded.

:We are not speaking as much as you are simply...hearing our thoughts; in simple terms. If I were to be more detailed; you are borrowing my species' Sixth-Sense—or a fraction of it: I replied, answering the girl. I leaned down to be at her eyelevel. Nina didn't so much as flinch as I closed in, either too frightened or... _actually, she looked frightened._

:This is a small example of the shield's capabilities. Your having recovered the shield has granted our species the ability to communicate with each other once more. Had the shield fallen in to the wrong hands, the effects could have been devastating. Not only for your species, or mine. But for both ours. For that, I personally thank you on behalf of my entire species:

At my words, those who had taken a few distrustful steps away from me seemed to grow at ease. It was like having heard something so sincere from what they perceived to be a threat was enough to make them reconsider. I even spotted the individual who had scorned me for my past actions, now wearing a shameful expression and hopefully reconsidering his words.

With that, I rose up to stand at my full height. Tori had taken my right flank while Ueda... _where'd Ueda go?_

I twisted my neck around to find him missing. Below me I could feel something beginning to clamber up my left leg as he grunted with the effort of climbing atop me.

Once he was standing atop my shoulders he called out to the crowd. Many of the newcomers were shocked to see him climb aboard me as if it were nothing.

"Now then," he began. "You were making your way out of the cave and to the—WOW, HEY!"

I quickly leaned forward, causing Ueda to let out a startled gasp as he lost his balance and fell off my shoulders. I quickly leaned forward, grasping the man by the back of his cloths. He swung simply through the air, grasping his chest and taking several deep breaths as he tried to calm himself.

"Toriko!" he yelled. "Are you trying to give me a heart?"

:We continued making our way out of the cave in an _incredibly_ laborious manner. How can you even tell these people it was anything but? You just told them all how your son nearly _drowned_ in the first few hours of being within this Nest—and you think the journey was ' _swift_ '?:

I lightly shook him with every word of though as he dangled from my jaws. The crowd began to laugh silently.

Ueda folded his arms across his chest. "Was it really that difficult? I thought he adapted quickly to his new body and—"

I shook him a bit more violently to get my point across. :No! I had to watch him like a hawk. He nearly drowned a _second_ time after all and we hadn't even _exited the cave_ at that point. That was _just_ what happened in the cave!:

"Gah! Put me down! And he didn't make the journey any more complicated than you had to begin with," he retorted.

 _Ouch_. I knew he didn't mean what I thought he did by that. Especially with how flippantly he had said it. Still—that was quite the low blow if he was referring to me changing his son in the first place. Then again, I couldn't _imagine_ how the journey through the Nest would have gone _had he been a human_. I rolled the thought around in my head before letting it fade away.

Admittedly, I was— _at times_ —as much an obstacle to deal with as his son was.

I decided to brush the statement he made aside. I twisted my neck around and dropped him atop my back where he landed with a _bum_ _p_.

I settled myself on to my stomach with Tori mimicking my posture once more. I felt around for her tail only to realize she was seeking me out just the same. We entwined them, and with an unnecessary breath, sent my thoughts out to the crowd of listeners.

:Now then: I began, gaining the attention of all before me. :With the shield and his son in our possession. Tori and I set out to complete the orders given to us by our Master. Little did we know _just how much_ delivering him there would shape the world around us into what you see before you now:

* * *

 **Author's Note II:**

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It may have felt filler'ish but I planned this chapter a long time ago. The fact that this story is being told long after the fact is something that needs to be remembered. The story, for the characters, has long since ended. They have all changed as a result of their experiances.

* * *

 **:Author's Review Response:**

 **Cbassattack:**

 _Thank you for the long review you posted on the previous chapter. You, and all others that have reviewed were the encouragement behind me continuing this story. And what did you mean by 'Trifecta of Tricune.'? I feel like I understand what you mean, but I'm not sure, haha. Anyway, thank you very much for your review and support. It meant a lot._

 **Guest 1:**

 _Thank you for your review. The crossover you mentioned is a possibility, but nothing is set in stone just yet. And I'm sure I had an error or...10 in the last chapter. I tried hard to have as few errors as possible, but with the monstrosity that chapter 5 was (25,000 words) I somewhat accepted there'd be an error here and there. Hell, even in this chapter might be a few. But hey! I tried, lol. Again, thank you so much for your review._

 **Guest 2:**

 _Your review made it, lol. And I hope your little sister enjoyed the last chapter. Hopefully the two of you enjoyed this one as well. Again, I really appreciated the review._

 **Stargazing Writer:**

 _The twists so far are just skimming the surface, and I cant wait until I get to those other twists in this story =P Thank you for the review!_

 **Rinku:**

 _Truth be told, I was worried how people would take to a transformation fic pertaining to The Last Guardian. That was a point I wanted to push home; the fact that The Boy is struggling with some of the most basic motor functions. If you read through this given chapter, you'll probably realize that The Boy is going to struggle a lot, haha. I'm glad you're liking the story. I'll do my best to keep it interesting. And yes, all your reviews were posted, lmao. You weren't wasting my time at all with them. I'm happy you wanted to be sure they were posted._

 **Guest 3:**

 _Truth be told; I have NO IDEA what a 'Beta-reader' is. Several people said I should get one. I'm imagining they're something like pre-readers that help point your story in the right direction. I really should look into it._

 **Guest 4:**

 _Oooo, it was close. I really did come close to deleting this story. But, here we are! Chapter 6 after an ungodly amount of time. Sorry for the wait =P_

 **Wolf81:**

 _It blows your mind that you consider this story one of the best. This, your review, was another one of the reviews that made me think I was maybe not as terrible at writing as I thought I was. Maybe I was putting myself to too high of standards.. meeh, who knows. Either way, your review helped me a lot, and I thank you for that._


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:** _Oh my god. I'm alive and this story is actually being updated. I won't get in to the details about where I've been. I'll leave that at the very bottom of this chapter if anybody cares. All you gotta know is that this story **isn't** over._

 _By far, this is my new favorite chapter. I say that essentially with each chapter I release, but I think that's because I've become a better writing with each chapter I put out._

 _With how long I've been gone, I hope people are still interested in this story. My biggest fear right now, as I post this, is that the readers have left this story behind._

 _Only 3 chapters left after this._

* * *

 ** _:Author Response To_ _Reviews:_**

 **Cbassattack:** _Yes, that last chapter erm...7 months ago, took so many rewrites that I nearly threw the story out haha. I'm glad that I didn't thought. I will keep your area suggestions in mind (considering you were the only one to suggest them LOL). Thank you so much for your review, Cbass._

 **Guest #1:** _I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. While it was a filler of sorts, it was a chapter long planned out to serve as a reminder that this story takes place in the past and is being told to the crowd of listeners. I'm actually really upset when you said 'I don't stop checking for updates,' because of how long it took me to get this out. I hope you're still around to read this chapter, lol._

 **DaFlameDF:** _Now_ this _review is an example of why I won't give up on this story. While I care that people are reading this odd story I've come up with, it's so much better knowing people are really enjoying it._

 **Rinku** **:** _Yeah FFN has something weird going on with reviews. While I don't review stories on this account, I have an account meant just for reviewing stories, and its something I've noticed myself. I'm happy you're excited for this story's end. I can't wait to write the final chapter, haha._

 **Guest #2:** _Sorry! Lmao. I really tried to get this chapter up as fast as possible. But, ya know. Life happens :P_

 **Redwolfless:** _Yet another review that makes me so happy to read that words fail me. You want more? Here ya go! Haha._

* * *

 **:The Nest — Three Years Prior:**

 **-o-**

 **:The Servant:**

 **-o-**

* * *

 _Tik-tak-tak-tak—_

 _Tik-tak-tak-tak—_

 _Tik-tak-tak-tak—_

 _Tik-tak-tak-tak—_

The only sound accompanying us through the narrow hallway of the Nest was the continual percussion of talons making contact with the cave's cold floor. I turned, glancing behind me to see my two wayward companions as they followed at a...rather slow pace, largely due to the _abomination_ behind me and in front of my Nest-mate—stationed directly in the middle of us.

I snorted as I watched him clambering and crawling over the debris within the hallway, his wings sprawled out and dragging behind him, before turning to face forward with a groan.

My Nest-mate and I had offered to carry him out of the Guardian's Tomb, but he declined, choosing instead to walk on his own four legs and going on about how he despised being carried like the fledgling he refused to admit he was.

We would already be out of this hole in the ground if the Hybrid just allowed himself to be carried! But no! Instead, he chose to continue forward on legs he was anything but accustomed to walking on, which only made my life somehow _more_ difficult than it had already become in the short span of the rise and fall of the moon.

I have nobody to blame but myself however. I could have chosen to carry him out of here whether he liked it or not, but decided against it. Allowing him to walk presented both myself and my Nest-mate something we both needed, but what I needed far more.

 _Silence_.

Time to plan. Time to think. And, against my own desire, time to reflect...

Like a sick, churning feeling in the pit of my gut, my last words with the Hybrid sat like a heavy stone in my stomach.

When I'd put my mind to the more _pressing_ matter of delivering him to my Master, his thanking me for saving his life would whisk away any planning I'd put in to finding a way to bring him to the Master's Spire.

 _— 'Th-thank you, Trico...' —_

 _— 'Thank you for saving me...from earlier...' —_

 _— 'I thought you were going to let me die.' —_

I didn't want his appreciation. I didn't want his thanking me. I didn't want his _trust_! Not when I was knowingly either delivering him or dragging him to his death.

The moment that thought wormed its way into my mind I violently shook my head to and fro, trying to rid myself of the very thought.

 _'He is the_ enemy!' I thought to myself. ' _He is my species_ prey!' I berated myself, twisting my neck around to glare at the Hybrid. I watched as he tried to slide down a small mound of rubble blocking his path, only to lose his balance and topple head over tail. I gave the scene a heavy eye-roll.

This entire ordeal was pointless! This would have all been so much simpler if I hadn't spit him up. If he hadn't taken the Guardian's Shield. If he had simply _died_ instead of becoming what he was. This journey was only prolonging the inevitable! Regardless of the Master's interest in him, my leader would no doubt demand his extermination. He was, after all, _a_ human. Perhaps not in body, but instead, _in mind_.

I continued glaring at the fledgling as he righted himself and happened to glance slightly upward to meet my Nest-mate's inquisitive eyes boring in to my own.

 _'Damn it,'_ I thought, twisting my head back around to face forward. ' _Knowing her, she's going to—_ '

"Brother?"

' _...Bother me...'_

I could hear the sound of her talon's clicking against the cave floor as she trotted her way to the front of our little precession.

"Brother?" She asked again, lightly bumping me aside as to give herself enough room to walk beside me on my right. I bit back my reproachful comment but could feel myself becoming increasingly more agitated. This passageway isn't even big enough for the two of us to walk side-by-side. When I heard her take another breath to speak, I snapped.

"Sister!" I barked in annoyance, my ears pinning themselves against my skull, "Don't break our formation! We need to make sure the Hybrid doesn't—"

"Doesn't what?" She retorted, cutting me off before I could press on. "Run from us?"

I twisted my head to the left to glare at her and was instead introduced to the corner of her wing slapping the side of my muzzle as she snapped the two of them out, spreading them as wide as she could without striking the cave's wall.

"Oh stop it, Brother," she said with an eye roll. "The creature is behaving. He hasn't spoken since we recovered the shield."

"But—" I tried, but was cut off again when her wing pressed up against my muzzle as if to shush me.

"And—what is he going to do? Run back to the dead end room before? Try running past the two of us?"

I let out an annoyed growl, bringing a paw up to push her wing away from my face. "Fine!" I conceded. "He won't! Now what do you want?" She gave a short hum in pleasure at my admission before going on.

"Why so quiet? You haven't spoken since leaving the Guardian's Tomb."

I paused in my steps, mulling over her question. I couldn't tell her of my damn near treasonous thoughts, even as brief as they were, so instead decided on telling her not only the half-truth, but also what I should have been thinking of this entire time.

I let out a sigh. "How exactly are we going to get that thing behind us to the Master's Spire?" I asked, deciding that maybe she would have a suggestion. I absolutely refused to admit it, but talking to her helped ease my mind at just what we were doing to the Hybrid.

She herself paused at this, possibly mulling it over for the first time.

"Can't you just carry me? Just—fly me up there?" Came the despondent voice of our less desired traveling companion. It was the first time he'd even spoken since recovering the shield. He was being unusually quiet.

My Nest-mate and I halted in our tracks and turned to face him, giving the whelp an irritated stare.

"No." I said, flatly. "Neither my wings, or my Nest-mate's, are strong enough to carry you all the way to the top of the Spire." I paused at that to think, but my thoughts were stolen from me by my female companion.

"At best, one of us could glide while carrying you, but flapping with your weight would put too much strain on our wings," she finished.

I hummed in agreement. Gliding was an option. It was only a matter of finding a place high enough to glide off.

The fledgling looked up at us, his attention being drawn from the small incline he'd been trying to walk down before his eyes trained on me.

"H-how am I too heavy?" He asked, genuinely confused. "You had all that armor on before you came back for me."

I eyed him for a moment, ready to berate him for the stupid question before remembering he'd only had wings for a quarter of a day at best.

Speaking of which...

"Wings..." I said plainly, staring at the Human-turned-Servant.

His eyes seemed to gloss over at my seemingly random choice of words. I shook my head, becoming increasingly more annoyed with having to remind him after having just showed him. "Wings!" I snapped. "Fold them for Sky's sake, Human! Master forbid you have to use them; they'll be useless if you keep dragging them across the ground like a dead carcass." He glanced down at them before taking on a look of surprise, as if just remembering he had wings to begin with. I pondered that for a moment before realizing that was likely the case.

I felt my eye twitch and spasm in irritation as he painstakingly raised his wings off the floor and spread them wide, squinting his eyes shut as if the simple action took all the concentration in the world. I watched as he did as I had told him earlier; folding and furling his two wings until they were...somewhat neatly pressed against his sides. Once he finished the Hybrid looked up to me, seemingly waiting for a 'congratulations'.

I chuffed, warbling something unintelligible before turning on him and motioning for my Nest-mate to follow.

"And to answer your last question; yes. You—" I said, pausing for a moment to think of how best to explain something to someone who wasn't born with the ability of flight in the first place. "Our armor's weight is evenly spread out across our bodies. Trying to fly with you—who likely weighs as much, or possibly more than the armor—would weigh me down too much. All the weight would be too concentrated in one spot." I finished.

"Imagine walking around with a bolder chained to the top of your head," my Nest-mate helpfully supplied. "Your head would be dragged down and your body would be unbalanced from the weight alone."

"Exactly," I agreed as we made our way over the cliffside and around the pots I had blown apart in my haste to reach the Master— nearing the flooded area where my Nest-mate and I had found the Hybrid earlier. "Now, imagine trying to fly like that."

I waited for some sort of response or acknowledgement from the Human—hell, even another stupid question! Yet, none came.

Silence.

I turned, glancing over and behind my nest-mate—who had chosen to walk behind me as we crossed along the narrow catwalk—to see the fledgling padding forward, shoulders hunched and head low as if he was...afraid?

I stopped at the entryway leading to the flooded cavern to stare at him as the Female went around me. The Hybrid's eyes were downcast, staring intently at the floor but seeing nothing as he made his way forward at a subdued pace. The closer he got, the easier it was to pick up on the small details. His shoulders and wings shuddering. His pupils slowly contracting, and his tail beginning to lower to the cave floor.

I opened my mouth to question him, when a thought crossed my mind...

 _'_ _Did I_ have _to even ask?'_

I examined him, taking in all his features: his tail, feathers and talons, all the way to the crown of his head where his two small horns rested. He was a human in mind, but appeared to be a Servant, through and through. Just how much of him truly _was_ a Servant? Did he possess some of my specie's abilities, despite how few we had? Could he fire bolts from his tail just as my Nest-mate and I could? I glanced at the small pair of horns atop his head.

 _'Did he have a sixth-sense..?_ '

I focused my attention to my two damaged horns, and felt them gently hum in response. My own sixth-sense worked, but I could feel it was terribly muffled—my own sence's range was horribly crippled from the damage my horns sustained.

He was only a few body-lengths from me now. If my sense's range was crippled...could I try and establish a link from this small distance?

Throwing caution to the wind, I focused on the horns atop my head and they soon began to glow a soft cyan before I began reaching out to the distracted Hybrid. It was something difficult to describe; feeling as though roots from a great tree were reaching out to entwine around another's.

Before long, his too began glowing a soft green hue, and against my better judgement, I pressed forward with my little experiment—and succeeded...

I immediately reared back the moment our minds entwined. As expected, with my sense in their current condition, I couldn't _'see'_ what he was feeling as much as I could _'experience_ ' whatever he was feeling. In spite of that, what I felt was, in a word, ' _painful'_.

He was overwhelmed, and it felt like a crushing amount of weight had been thrown on to me; as if the weight alone was causing me to sink into the very ground.

He felt doubt. Doubt in what exactly—I couldn't tell. Doubt in what lay ahead? Doubt in what could or couldn't be? Either way, it felt as if I was being pulled so violently in two separate directions that, for a moment, I feared the feeling of it alone would cause my body to tear itself asunder.

He felt an overwhelming amount of _fear_ at what was ahead of us. It felt as if a snake, thrice my own size, had coiled itself around me and was slowly squeezing the very will to live from me.

And lastly, he felt longing—likely at what he'd lost, but I couldn't discern it with how inaccurate my senses were. The sensation the emotion brought was something difficult to describe. It was as if my very surroundings were growing; swelling, while I began to feel small. I felt insignificant, dwarfed by even the most infinitesimally small thing.

I had enough of the feeling, and cut the link between us. The smallest amount of _guilt_ seemed to seep into me for a fraction of a moment. I shook myself so violently to the point where it would have appeared as if I were shaking water free from my feathers in a desperate attempt to escape the connection. The link alone made me feel like I was living out a nightmare.

 _Wa—was this how he'd been feeling?_ I questioned.

In my moment of weakness, when I looked down at the creature I had made, pacing towards me, I saw not a Human-turned-Servant, but rather a fellow Nest-mate that needed my assistance. I was nearly about to console him when luckily—thankfully; thank the Sky, Master, and Guardians of the past—my companion cut my treasonous line of thought off.

"Brother, I have an idea as to get the creature to the Spire." She said cheerfully. I turned away from the Human, shaking the previous line of thought from my head and scolding myself for having even thought of it. I instead chose to follow her and hear her out, silently berating myself for pitying not a fellow nest-mate, but my _enemy_!

She glanced over the cliff's ledge to the sickly green water below, as if preparing to jump in. "We might be able to bring him to one of the Great Bridges. The one leads directly to the Spire's lower level, and we could simply take the lift to the top."

I pondered that for a moment. It could work. Though, I'm not too sure of trusting the fledgling to make a leap-of-faith would be in our best interest. If I recall, there's a rather large gap just before it. Worst case scenario; I carry him and leap across it with him hanging from my mouth. Not only that, but that route may not require too much gliding.

I padded over to her and stood by her side, the Hybrid finally reaching us and seating himself beside me.

"You know," I said, flicking her with my wing, "I actually agree with that." She gave a nod in acknowledgement before her demeanor changed to that of a serious one. She twisted to peer over me and glanced at the Human.

"Well," she said, giving him a wry, almost sinister, grin, "Lets get moving."

And with that she hunched down before propelling herself off the small ledge into the water below. She entered it with a large splash, causing a spout of water to nearly reach the ceiling of the cave and momentarily flood whatever landmass was exposed in her wake. She soon resurfaced, shaking the water from her head and paddling herself around as to face our direction and stare up at us. She still wore that grin she had before jumping in.

"Alright, Brother!" she called out. "Toss the Hybrid down here! I'll catch him! …Unless he wants to jump in himself!"

At those words, the reason for her somewhat-evil grin made sense. My own expression mirrored hers, just as a sound—difficult to explain—came from just behind me and off to my right in a tangle of unintelligible sounds. It was something between a squeak, sputter, and stutter.

I gave my Nest-mate a crooked grin before turning to the hu—... _he's_ gone?

I twisted my neck so that my head was facing behind me to see the Hybrid was backpaddling like he'd seen me for the first time. His wings were splayed out— _again..._ —and his tail was limply dragging underneath him in his desperate attempt to put as much space between the two of us as feasibly possible. The entire time, his eyes were trained on me as if I was a predator stalking him. I turned to him, lumbering towards him in an almost-lazy fashion.

"We're not doing this again, Human. You will—" I began, but was cut off by his frantic reply just as the few words left my mouth.

"You CAN'T be serious, Trico!" he said in a panicked tone, his feathers all over his body puffing up. "I—I drowned, literally drowned earlier, and you want to _throw me in the water_?!"

His arguing didn't make me slow my pace. "We've already spoken of this, Human." I ground out. "You're safety is part of this ' _mission_ ' I've been given along with my Nest-mate. I don't plan on throwing you to you're demise. Now get over here! I will not be playing this game of _cat and mouse_ with you as I did before."

He continued his backpedaling until, in an almost comical fashion, he stepped on his wing that was dragging close to his one leg. He let out a high-pitched _YELP_ when he placed his full weight on to the aforementioned appendage before stumbling and falling on to his back.

Even with that, I continued forward at a lazy pace. There was nowhere for him to run. This cave was nothing more than a dead-end for him. One direction lead to, quite literally, a dead end, while the opposite direction lead to just what he was afrai—

I momentarily paused in my steps when the realization struck me. The _'Overwhelming fear'_ he'd been experiencing, was just this: the water. He'd developed a sort of... _aquaphobia_ after having all but drowned before. My assumption was only further proven when I continued making my way towards him, soon looming over him. I began leaning my head forward to pick him up, when he threw a not-too-unexpected swipe at me with his talons.

"W-wait! Waitwaitwaitwaitwait!" he said franticly, holding his paws out in front of himself as if they'd _actually_ stop me. HA!

I halted, still looming overtop of him to let him speak. His chest was rising and falling franticly in time with his words.

"Th-there's gotta be another way, Trico. What if—" he began, but I cut off his delusionary train of thought.

"No!" I growled, already beginning to lose my patience with the creature. "There is _no_ other way, Human. You should already know that by now. You've explored this cave both when you were a Human, and after I'd transformed you. There is _no_ other way across other than—"

"I know that, Trico!" he yelled back equally annoyed as I was. "I already know the only way across is through that _swamp_. But what if—what if you carr—uuh, wait, no. I don't want to be carried. What if you let me..." He paused for a moment in thought. "—what if you let me climb on your back, and you—"

"ABSOLUTALLY _not!"_ I bellowed. "What do you take me for, Human? One of your specie's domesticated horses?!"

I twisted around to face the waters below, where I could hear my Nest-mate laughing her ass off. "You'd be more like one of those rat-creatures, Servant! What are they called?" she pondered from down below for a moment. "Possums?"

I ignored her the best I could, but the image alone made me—admittedly—having to bite back a laugh before turning to face the Human. "What difference does it make, Human? I throw you down there, she catches you, and we—"

"Because I don't _trust_ her, Trico!" he yelled before taking a breath to calm himself. "I trust you. Or, I trust you more than I trust her."

That— _that_ made a chill run from the crown of my head, down my spine, and to the end of my tail. I'd _just_ pondered this not long ago. I didn't want his appreciation. I didn't want his thanking me.

... _I didn't want his_ _trust_...

I had to rid his trust in me, even if it meant being truthful and spilling some secrets to some degree.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts before leveling him with a leer. "Your trust is as delusional as it is misplaced, Human. I've only had your best interests in mind for _my own_ best interest. My Master was clear with me; if you die, _I die_." His eyes didn't widen as much as his pupils did. It wasn't exactly the reaction I was going for, so I pressed the point by lowering my head close enough to stare in to his eyes. "I've kept you alive for my own safety, not for your own. Now, how could you trust me knowing _that_?"

The Human's mouth moved up and down for a few moments, his eyes remain slightly widened in shock before he gathered himself and rolled over on to his side to more easily stand once again. He stared at me, almost distantly for a few moments, before answering my question...with an answer I didn't want.

"Isn't...Isn't that all the more reason to trust you, Trico?" He asked. "You told me, not long ago, that I didn't care for my own 'self-preservation.' With what you told me just now, If you care anything for your own self-preservation than I think it's safe to trust you."

 _Well, that backfired_ gloriously...

"Not only that," he murmured, "but before, something...happened...with my horns..."

Now my eyes widened at that. _Dear Master above,_ please _,_ _no!_

I held a paw up to stop him from further explaining. "I don't care to hear your dilutions, Human." I said. "But your _horns_? Explain. Leave out the details and just tell it like it is."

His mouth hung open for a few moments before shutting with a _POP. "_ After we went back and found that shield—just as we were leaving, I felt...I don't know. I felt something. And that ' _something'_ is what makes me believe I can trust you over the other Trico."

My paw, which was once held in front of me to give the Human direction, instead slapped my muzzle in a sort of Face-paw. That feeling from earlier _wasn't_ the female's Sixth-Sense. It was this Master-damned Human's! I could lie to my peers all I wanted. But I couldn't lie to myself.

My appreciation for his thanking me, as brief and misplaced as it was, including my genuine relief for his safety was nothing short of treasonous. It _COULDN'T_ be spoken of to _any other Servant_. Whether or not I brought the Human to the Master unscathed or not, the thoughts I had, even as brief as they were, were nothing short of _treasonous_. _That_ tit-bit of information had to remain reclusive.

I dragged my paw down my face before placing it back on the ground and staring at the Human once more. "Alright, Human. I'll bring you into the water with me," The Human's features light up like the starry night at that, "but," I paused, leaning in close to him, as threateningly as possible. It had the desired effect as his ears seemed to pin themselves to his skull. "You take what you just told me to your _grave_ , or I'll introduce you to _yours, my own punishment be damned_...are we clear?"

The Hybrid gave me a _very_ energetic nod, and with that— _oh Master, Sky, and my distant ancestors, this was fucking mortifying—_ lied myself down to let the Human...climb aboard...AAARRRGGGG! Why!? What did I do to deserve this sort of mockery? Not to my surprise; he was as heavy as I expected him to be.

"Thank you, Trico," he said as he scrabbled up my left side, somehow managing to find traction with his talons without injuring me, and dragged himself up so that he was sprawled out along the length of my body with his head resting somewhere near my shoulder blades. I'm sure it was...a sight to behold...

I let out a long, miserable groan. "Stop calling me ' _Tor-iko_ ', Human—lest you want me to start calling you ' _Wings_ ' to remind you that you have them to begin with." Once I felt he was...situated, I rose up from where I lay, standing to my full height once more and making my way towards the ledge overlooking the body of water.

I felt him give a sort of shrug along with an audible snort. "I don't really care... _Toriko_." I cringed a bit at that _name_. "It'd be nice to actually _have_ a name. We Humans have to wait _years_ just to _receive_ one."

I rose a brow at that. I'd thought, with his excitement from earlier to even consider giving me a name, that the Human race would have a name for anything and everything—which would no doubt include themselves.

For a moment, I considered asking him about it, but the very idea was stripped away from me when I— _along with the Human perched on my back_ —stepped close enough to the ledge as to let my Nest-mate see my...traveling..companion..perched on my back. She immediately began clucking in laughter, rolling over in the water on her back as her insufferable laughing persisted.

Somewhere in between breaths I heard her manage to get out "My Nest-mate, the Possum!"

I felt my face heat up enough that it could have turned rock to molten. "Shut up, Sister." I said as flatly as possible, which only caused her to laugh all the harder. I shook my head at her antics before turning my head to see the Hybrid perched on my back from my peripheral.

"Try and hold on, Human. Don't...do anything stupid." As an afterthought, I added; "Or rather, don't do anything at all. Just...stay there." He gave me a single, albeit stiff nod, before I turned to face the waters once again.

I stared at where my Nest-mate was, still floating on her back, laughing, and...decided against warning her. Instead, I took several large steps backwards before breaking in to a full sprint with the little ground I was given before the ledge. I'd reached it in as little time as my heart took to beat once, and threw myself from the ledge haphazardly towards my Nest-mate. Several things happened...

My Nest-mate went wide-eyed at my sudden, descending approach, my dim shadow casting her in even more darkness as I loomed closer. She let out something between a startled ' _EEP_ ' and a high-pitched shriek before rolling over in the water, back on to her stomach, and frantically paddled away for all she was worth. Just as I'd reached the apex of my leap, just before gravity began pulling me down to the water below, there was the sound of wings opening behind me as they suddenly caught the air. I felt several of my feathers be pulled out, root and all, just as the Human's startled ' _YELP_ ' caught my ear. And just like that, the large amount of weight that had once been centered on my back vanished.

I knew _exactly_ what had just happened. I didn't even have to imagine it. I should have expected it!

I smashed into the water below, stomach first, before becoming fully submerged. While underwater, I heard the muffled sound of _something_ —no, not _something_...it was clearly the _child_ —as he struck the water moments after me. I resurfaced to the sound of the Human frantically splashing about behind me. When I turned, to my relief, he hadn't sank into the water as he had before. He must have had enough common sense this time to realize that all it took to remain above the water's surface was to _hold your breath_. Despite this, he was still whipping around in the water in a tangle of limbs.

I paddled over to him quickly, reaching him in no time at all and leaned forward to pluck him from the water as I'd done once before, but had to reconsider.

As I leaned forward, his paw came slashing downward in his frantic flailing about. His talon came a feather's length from cleaving out my left eye, and I reared backwards suddenly at having nearly lost one of my eyes. I decided on the safer approach, instead paddling right up to him so that my left flank bumped in to him. His flailing ceased for a moment, and he began trying to dig his claws into my side in his panic to escape his, what he thought was, drowning.

"Hey! Heyheyhey! Calm down, Human. You're going to tear up my entire left side if you try to climb on me now." His struggling lessened once he'd latched on to my side. His breaths were short, coming in and out in a panic. "I didn't let you drown before, and I'm not going to now. So, relax."

At that, his breaths began to steady, though he said absolutely nothing. He just remained wide-eyed. I twisted around slowly in the water, facing the direction I'd been when I'd jumped in the water to begin with, only to be snout-to-snout with the Female Servant.

Her eye's were narrowed, ears pinned, and hackles slightly raised. I reared back a bit at her suddenly being so close.

"What in the name of the Master, Brother?! Were you _trying_ to crush me?!" she growled. I gave her a lopsided grin.

"My apologies, Sister." I said in a flourish, beginning to swim around her. "I didn't see you down there."

She let out a snort and began swimming behind me as the three of us made our way to the ledge, just to the left of the room which I already knew served as this pit-in-the-ground's only exit.

I positioned my left side to the small surface of land, which the Hybrid all too eagerly clambered on top of. My Nest-mate climbed up the small wall without waiting for the two of us before disappearing around the hallway's corner. I too climbed atop the small surface, shaking the water free from my body and staring down at the Human, who was shuddering a bit.

I rolled my eyes, bringing a paw up to my face to wipe the remaining water from my eyes. "You can relax, Human. You're fine." He still said nothin, likely somewhat in shock at falling into the water once more. If this journey to the Master's Spire would require me to—Master forbid—carry him atop my back any more, I'd have to give him a stern lecture about _not_ flaring his wings open when I was jumping about with him on my back. I decided to postpone the little talk though. I wanted _out_ of this cave, and I was sure he wanted to leave it behind just as much as I did.

I leaned down to the Human, picking him up by his scruff— _which he didn't argue against_ —and leapt up on to the ledge above, placing him down once we were atop it. I trotted forward to the hallway's end, where I saw my Sister, who was currently staring up at the half-crumpled wall in thought. I walked to stand at her side as we both looked up at the damaged wall before she turned to me.

"So, how are we going to do this? You going to," she stifled a small laugh, "let him climb on your back again and then climb out of the gap?"

I leered at her before turning my gaze back up to the crumbled wall. The hole was much, much larger than it was before—when I'd perched atop it, only to have a quarter of the wall crumble away.

I shook my head. "No. The wall was structurally unsafe _before_ I caused it to collapse. And that collapse could have killed me. Not only that," I added, rolling my shoulders, "but he's as heavy as I had thought. I doubt the wall could take our combined weight."

I let out a sigh, still mulling over our options even though I knew there was only one option left. I twisted to my right and stared down at where the Hybrid was standing and opened my wing, lightly buffeting him with it a few times as he took a few stumbling steps backwards.

"Stand back, Human. I'd rather not see you get crushed with what my Nest-mate and I are about to do." I took several steps back myself, and the Female followed.

"What are you going to do, Brother?" She asked.

When we were a save distance away, I brought my tail around and began letting energy pool at its tip, hoping that this little _plan_ of mine wouldn't end disastrously. "We're not climbing over it. We're not jumping it or going around it. We'll have to go _through_ it."

She turned back to the wall with a raised brow. "You don't think it'll bury us in here though, do you?" She questioned.

I shook my head. "No. Most of the wall I'd collapsed fell _outside_ of the cave, on to the other side. I don't think there's enough of the wall left to truly _bury_ us. However, I'm more worried about the ceiling caving in if too much of the wall is destroyed." I stared up at the walls on either side of us. They looked relatively sturdy. Not only that, but it was _solid rock_.

 _'It'll be fine,'_ I reassured myself, bring my tail around which was now crackling with stored energy. I turned back to my Nest-mate once more. "Make sure the blast is strong enough. We don't want to just scald the wall. And aim for the center of what's left of the wall with me. I'm confident we can blast our way out if anything."

She nodded once, bringing her own tail around which began crackling as well, small arcs of energy shooting off in random directions. We stood there for a moment, taking aim before I finally gave the signal.

"Now!" I yelled, and two very thick arcs of energy left our tails simultaneously. They struck the center of the wall with enough force to rival _several_ fully armored Servants charging headlong in to it. The blast caused my ears to ring, and both my Nest-mate and I covered ourselves with a wing as glowing-red shrapnel flew out in random directions, several pieces pelting me and singed my feathers. I could hear the wall collapse from behind my wing, which was followed by a relieving sight, and my relieved sigh...

 _Light..._

* * *

 **-o-**

 ** _:The Boy:_**

 **-o-**

When the large, neon-white arc of lightning left the tail of the Female Trico and...well, Toriko, I spun about, facing the opposite direction of the wall in the hopes that whatever _could_ go wrong, _wouldn't_ go wrong. I hunched my shoulders and somewhat curled into myself when something split the very air like a bolt of lightning, which was followed by the sound of something _large_ and _heavy_ collapsing. I cracked my two eyes open, feeling somewhat hesitant for no particular reason. All I could see, having turned around and faced away from what the two Trico believed was our exit, was a small cloud of dust as it wisped around, curling and churning in the air as it passed me by.

For several long seconds the sound persisted as the wall, as I could only imagine, crumbled in to dust. When all sound ceased, there came the relieved sigh from Toriko, and a blinding amount of something filtering in from behind me. Something I feared I would never have the opportunity to see again: _Light_.

I turned to see — _sure enough_ —the wall was only half of what it was before. The top of what was left of the wall glowed red like the setting Sun where the two Trico's bolt of lightning struck the wall. Left behind, at the base of the once large wall, was a mound of rubble that lead to its new highest point.

I felt _drawn_ to the light and to all that it meant. I was— _somewhat_ —free. I could leave this hole in the ground. I _just might_ be able to go home after all that had happened.

I was the first to take steps towards the exit. To my surprise, Toriko didn't complain about me taking the lead as I scaled the make-shift stairs towards the light before me. When I'd reached the top, to my slight disappointment, I was still in the cave to a degree. Ahead was like somebody took an object in the shape of a steep triangle and carved out the very stone around me.

The light at the end of the tunnel was so blinding after having been stuck down here for so long that I couldn't exactly _see_ what lay beyond the light. All I knew was that whatever lay beyond it would take me closer to everything that had gotten me in a funk since the Female Trico had recovered that shield: My father. My friends. My village. And lastly, my _real_ body.

I jumped from the top of the destroyed wall to the ground below, not caring when my legs failed me and I momentarily collapsed to the ground. I righted myself and began walking down what was hopefully the last cave I would ever have to be in. Behind me came the sound of two large bodies slamming against the ground as well.

My walk soon turned in to a trot, that trot turning in to run, and that run quickly turning in to the best sprint I could manage. Nothing at this particular moment mattered more that one thing: the exit.

I reached the end of the cavern walls, coming to a sliding halt when my eyes were assaulted by the bright afternoon sun. I forced them to stay open, finally having the my first opportunity to glimpse at my surroundings.

My jaw practically hit the floor.

The first thing I could see, directly in front of me was a sort of _tower_. I had to crane my head all the way back to see its peek. It looked to all but reach up and touch the heavens with how tall it was.

I was at a loss for words. The sight alone of the tower stripped me of my small voice. I continued forward before realizing the very ground beneath me fell away, and I creeped forward with one of the two Trico close behind, and peered over the ledge. It was...unreal. The cliff dropped off into what could only be the endless abyss. Stupefied, and now beginning to feel slightly dizzy from the height alone, I tore my gaze away to look at everything else this ' _Nest'_ had to offer—and became all the more speechless.

Under and all around me was tall, lush-green grass with several large trees sprouting out of what I was beginning to realize was another large cliff. The grass and leaves swayed in time with the wind as it whipped by, ruffling my tattooed feathers. Across from me, coming out of the stone cliffs to the left of the great tower was a waterfall that was exiting the wall with enough pressure to strip bark from a tree. Everything had a calming, foggy appearance to it. As if I was in the center of a thin cloud.

It was all too much to take in, and I felt my eyes beginning to well up from the shock of it all. From the shock of _everything_.

My abduction. My transformation. My abandonment. My rescue. And finally, my escape.

I said the only thing that happened to come to mind, and said in a hushed tone that was only audible to the Trico who were standing behind me with their large ears.

"Wow..." I said. "It's beautiful..."

A small chuckle came from behind me, then the feeling of something clamping down on my tail before it began tugging me backwards and away from the cliff. I stiffened immediately at the feeling before twisting my head around to see it was Toriko, likely dragging me a safe distance away from what could lead to my death. I couldn't argue with him. Half because I was still somewhat in shock, and half because I couldn't argue with the facts: I'd already essentially fallen to my death twice in the span of less than a day.

He gave a low chuckle, and he said only four words:

"Welcome to the Nest."

* * *

 **Author's Note #2:** _And there you have it. I hope some people are still interested enough as to revisit this story and check this chapter out._

 _So, where in the name of God have I been? I'll sum it up real quick._

 _Early January of last year I was working a dead-end job at a grocery store. A month or so later I landed a promotion at my main job. Before, I'd been writing this story at my job while I shoulda been actually working...oh well haha._

 _Now comes April'ish where I get a call from my State telling me they want to put me through a bunch of tests for a job. I focused and studied for these tests which cut heavily into my writing. Shortly after that I was contacted again and sent to a sort of Bootcamp for a few months. Now I have not a 'job' but a career I've been wanting my entire life._

 _I tell you all this for one big realization I had throughout all of this: Never stop pushing forward._

 _In the small span of a year I've found myself in such a good place, and it only took a year. Never give up on what you want. Keep pushing forward, and once you achieve that, start pushing for the next big thing. Changes take time, but they can happen quickly._


	8. Chapter 8

**_Author's Note_** ** _:_** _I'm not going to drag this authors note out. Your responses to the previous chapter's reviews will be at the bottom. Thank you so much for remaining interested in this story even though my life since beginning it has effected the amount I can write._

 _What I more want to say is this; there are only 2 chapters left of this story and I'm hellbent on finishing it_

 _I really, really really hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. Not sure if you'll find it to be the most interesting, but this'll put everything in perspective for what's to come._

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

 ** _-o-_ Chapter 8 _-o-_**

 _"A secret's worth depends on the people from whom it must be kept."_

 _\- Carlos Ruiz Zafon_

* * *

 **-o-**

 **:The Village:**

 **-o-**

 **:Koma:**

 **-o-**

At its core, the world truly is an unfair place. Either that, or the Spirits have a sick and twisted sense of humor as they watch us from above. Some would use the almost expected excuse of " _The Seven move in mysterious ways"_ but if they do play a hand in our simple day to day life then you almost can't help but think that they get some kind of enjoyment in watching us struggle.

 _Alright, men! Dig your heels into the ground and—_

I stared up at the clear blue sky with a frown. You would have expected the day following the Trico's attack would be a dreary one, right?

 _Now, together as one! Pull!_

Maybe heavily overcast skies or, in the more ironic fashion, a heavy downpour? Nope! Of course not. The Spirits couldn't be bothered to so much as pity us after the events of last night.

 _Koma? Koma! Move, boy! You're holding up the line!_

Instead what the village got was a beautiful, sunny day without a cloud in sight. No ominous, dark clouds or the slightest breeze. Everything was still—silent. It was as if nothing had ever happened the previous night; the only indication that anything _had_ happened last night being the destruction in the Trico's wake and the general downcast mood of my people as—W-WHA!

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted when I was dragged forward with enough sudden force to rip my arms from their sockets. Instead of doing the smart thing and letting go of the rope I decided to hold on to it for dear life, which only served to catapult me forward as the large fencepost the rope was tied to came toppling over like a large tree having been cut down. The result was me being dragged forward along the ground on my stomach before doing the sensible thing and letting go of the rope.

I barely had time to realize what just happened when a shadow of the lead builder loomed overtop of me, arms crossed and mouth fixed with a scowl as he stared down at my prone form.

"Ow.." was all I managed to get out before being grabbed by my one arm and dragged up to my feet.

I stood, rotating my shoulders and shaking the stinging feeling from what I was sure was rope-burn before turning to him. "Sorry about th—" was all I got out before being cut off by him.

"Koma! We have three posts left to set and you spacing out like that is only holding us up! If you're not going—"

Hating being cut off, I did just the same to him.

"I-I'm not _spacing out_! I was—I just don't know what I'm doing! It's not like I've ever done this before. I'm just used to doing the simple chores around the village. I don't see why I can't do that instead if getting this _stupid_ fence put up is such a time-sensitive thing." I said, gesturing towards it.

"Because, Koma, you refused to help the other group build your home. There's more important things to be done in the village after last night, and since your an _adult_ now, after receiving your name yesterday, the menial chores can be left for the children. We need all the help we can get at this point."

For some reason, despite having absolutely _no_ building experience in my life, I was selected to help repair the fence after the Trico plowed through it in its mad dash to escape the village last night. It was just one of the many things left behind in the Trico's wake, including my _entire_ home. My whole family had to spend the night in the Great Hall until they could start building today.

"Hey! I didn't ' _refuse_ ' to help build my house. If I'm _this_ much of a hinderance in building something as simple as a fence, how much help would I have been in building the framework of an entire _building_?"

The man closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. I think I could hear him counting down from 10 before focusing on me once more, only this time with a an understanding expression that felt more like he was pitying me.

"You're not a ' _hinderance_ ', Koma. You're distracted—and I understand why. We know you had a front row seat to what happened last night, but this is part of being an adult. Put what happened last night aside—"

I bit the insides of my cheeks at that to hold my tongue. I might be considered an ' _adult_ ' now, but sometimes knowing when to say nothing is better than speaking freely. Not only that, but I didn't want to be reminded of _last night_. After all, he, one of the _adults_ , was more to blame than anyone! I'd considered myself to blame throughout most of the night, which my parents only knew. It wasn't until after a long talking to by them that I was convinced otherwise.

 _Speaking of which, is she still not back yet?_ He _didn't take this long to talk to me, after all. And I'm sure he's telling her exactly what he told me._

I let the lead builder rattle on without interruption while I spaced out and lost myself in my own thoughts, which primarily centered around Lia and what she was being spoken to about.

I was pulled aside the night prior after the Trico's attacked to be asked what I had seen; what Lia and I had both seen. He didn't believe either of us, blaming what we claimed to have seen on the stress brought on by...by the loss of my good friend...

This morning, however, the sun hadn't even crested over the horizon when my family was paid another visit...or when I was.

The conversation that followed made no sense. The reasoning behind the demands made no sense. The only thing about it that made sense were the repercussions if I were to tell anybody, and those words still rung in my head, making the hair on the back of my neck stand upright.

"Tell nobody what you've told me, unless they're already in the-know, or you'll be out of this village before you have time to pack."

None of it makes any sense! Would he really throw me out of the village? Why the secrecy? Why the threats? Why can't anybody know about—"

I was shaken, quite literally shaken, by my shoulders from my thoughts by the lead builder as he brought me back to reality. In the time between me spacing out and losing myself in my thoughts he'd taken enough steps forward to kneel down and be eye level with me.

"Koma! Are you—did you hear anything I just said?" He asked, throwing his arms out in exasperation.

I stared straight in to his eyes before a crooked grin spread across my face. He sighed in what I could only assume was disappointment before letting me go and standing to his full height. He brought a hand up and dragged it down his face.

"Alright, Koma. If you're going to keep holding us up like this then you should—"

"Come with me." Came a feminine voice from behind. "The—uh—the Chief has a...has requested him."

 _Oh, Spirits...she really needs to learn how to lie better than that. I can already tell the Chief isn't looking for me._ I turned to see Lia making her way towards our little party of builders. _Sheesh, what took her so long?_ She continued forward until she was standing shoulder to shoulder with me before continuing.

"The—um— the Chief told me to find Koma and...bring him to him at the Great Hall. He says it's urgent."

The man eyed her skeptically before appearing to concede, letting out a sigh and dropping his shoulders. "Very well, Lia. When you see our leader, tell him the fence should be done soon." He paused before glancing towards me, adding "Likely by the time you deliver the message to him."

"You could have sent me on my way yourself if getting the fence built was so—GAH!" I had to start hopping on my one foot to stop from falling over as Lia began dragging me by my shirt's collar. Before I could voice my disdain, she spoke in a whisper low enough so that only I could hear it.

"Don't bite the hand that feeds you, Koma! You're speaking to one of the village's lead builders after all."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I whispered back. "All he had to do was give me another job to do around the village."

She gave me a playful shove at that. "No, dummy. I mean you're talking to the guy that's probably going to be building the rest of your house. Don't be surprised if there's a large hole right above where your bed is and you're getting rained on in the middle of the night."

 _Oh. I hadn't thought of that_. "Good point, I guess. Well made." We continued towards the village's center before a thought struck me and I decided to voice it.

"Um—where are we even going, Lia? I know we're not going to see the Chief." She seemed to be taken a bit off guard by that.

"H-how did you know that?"

I rolled my eyes. "Because you're terrible at lying. Half of what you told him sounded like it came out as a question instead of a fact. If you're going to lie, at least try to sound convincing when your doing it." As an afterthought I added "And I don't think the lead builder called you on your lie because he just wanted to get rid of me."

She gave a small shrug as we continued onward to...wherever. "Where are we going? And what took you so long? I was in and out when I was spoken to." I gave a short chuckle, "Was there a line?" I asked sarcastically.

"Yes. There was." That shut me up. "I wasn't the only one in there. There were two others. I think he's trying to get through the last of us and—and let's not talk about this in the open. We need to go somewhere with less prying ears."

"So he gave you the same ultimatum he gave me?"

Her eyes darted to me but she didn't turn her head in my direction. "Later, Koma. Now, c'mon. We're going to the Great Hall."

I raised a brow at that. _I guess some of what she'd said back there was the truth. However, going there, of all places, makes no sense._ _She wants to go somewhere private, so we're going to the busiest building in the village.._?

"You do realize it's not going to be...empty, right? Not with how busy the village is today after last night."

Her eyes flickered to the corner to quickly glance at me briefly before facing forward again. "I know that, Koma. I'm not stupid. We're going on the roof."

 _Ah, one of our spots Ueda's son, Lia, and myself would sometimes go to talk or just hang out._ I decided to drop the subject entirely at that. If the repercussions for spreading the word were similar to the repercussions given to me, being banishment, than I wasn't going to risk my friend's safety if somebody else heard us.

We continued through the village as we made our way to the Hall. I hadn't explored much of the village, trying my best to avoid it in all honesty. I expected most of the damages to have been repaired as late in the day as it was. Instead, it was just the opposite.

The damage was still obvious. Trenches of earth dug out as the Trico came to sliding halts. Chunks of buildings missing as the beast slammed in to it as it tried to escape. Some weapons; spears, arrows and the infrequent sword were left on the ground which some of the younger kids of the village were gathering up. It all served as a reminder to what happened last night. A reminder of what was taken, another casualty to the Trico. I bit my lower lip and balled my hands in to fists, internally blaming the adults, the Trico, and the unpitying Spirits. Unfortunately, it didn't go unnoticed.

"Koma? You ok?" Lia asked.

"Yeah" I answered in monotone. "Just thinking of last night and how avoidable it all could have been."

For whatever reason, that answer crushed her enthusiasm to push the point and our conversation seemed to die off for some time as we walked on. It wasn't until the Great Hall was in throwing distance that she spoke once again, and it wasn't exactly a question I was expecting.

"Do you think we could have stopped it from happening, Koma? Honestly?"

I stopped dead in my tracks at that, just a buildings length away from the Hall itself. She wasn't expecting my sudden halt, and she continued forward a few steps before turning around to directly face me. She looked...sad, simply put. I hadn't thought to ask about _her_ thoughts on all of it, and wasn't entirely sure if _anyone_ had taken the time to ask either. Her parents were among the builders of the village after all, and had likely been pulled away to do what they could to serve the village's needs.

"What do you think, Lia? Do _you_ think we could have stopped anything that happened last night?"

She stared down at the ground at that and the silence between us stretched on as her face took on one expression before shifting to another. After around thirty seconds she brought her gaze back to mine, giving me a three word answer.

"I don't know…"

 _Yep, clearly nobody took the time to talk to her about this_. "Well, let me tell you what my parents told me last night, and then I'll tell you what I think." I paused for a moment, making it look like I was trying to carefully choose my words where in reality I'd forgotten about a quarter of what my parents told me to begin with. I internally shrugged, and decided to put it in my own words.

"If you, or rather, _we_ had known about the Trico beforehand, would you have convinced us against going upstairs in the first place?"

She didn't hesitate in her answer.

"Of course I would have. If we didn't go up there Ueda's son wouldn't have attacked that monster and maybe it wouldn't have...I don't know...recognized him and taken him?"

My reply came just as quick as her answer. "So, you would have let the [girl] be taken that the Trico was originally going for upstairs to save our friend instead?"

She blinked rapidly a few times at that, looking somewhat abashed before answering somewhat defensively. "I never said _that_ , Koma! I said—"

"I know, I know. I heard what you said the first time, Lia. But that's the reality of it." I answered, bringing my hands up in a placating gesture to calm her. "We couldn't have stopped anything from happening unless we knew long in advance that the Trico was coming last night. Instead, all we have to go with is one of two things, and neither of those we had control over. Either we went up there and Ueda's son was later taken, or we didn't go up there and that [girl] was taken instead."

"W-well, what if we hadn't gone out last night to prank the kids upstairs in the first place?" She asked, seeming desperate. "What if we'd just stayed put in your house and went to sleep instead?"

That was a low-blow unbeknownst to her. Not that she knew. That ' _prank_ ' I had planned; it would have apparently never worked. I would have needed warm water, not cold. Still, it didn't matter. Because her ' _what if_ ' scenario played right in to the other point I had to make.

"Then the only thing that would have changed would be all the damage." I said, outstretching my arms and gesturing to the entire village. "Maybe I'd still have a house too, I suppose. But either way, somebody was going to be taken last night and if _we_ were up there, it could have been me or the Boy. It could have been _you_ , Lia."

She stared back down at the ground at that, her eyes darting from one place to another, possibly mulling over the reality of the situation that my parents put in perspective for me. She said nothing, but her shoulders seemed to sag in what I hoped was acceptance. After a few moments longer I decided to go on.

" _That's_ what my parents told me last night when I was blaming myself. But if you were to ask my honest opinion, everything that happened is the _adults_ fault. Both this recent attack and all the ones that have happened in the past."

When I said that, Lia's eyes shot back up to meet my own in surprise. Then she did something peculiar, leaning to the right to stare at what was behind me which made her eyes widen further. I was too caught up in the moment though.

"The adults haven't done _anything_ to stop the Trico since we were born, and never did anything before that. They've only ever been _dealing_ with the problem instead of _doing_ something about it." While I rattled on like the lead builder from earlier, Lia's expression went from shock, to worry, to what seemed to be abject horror while her face brightened to a light, rosy red. In that time she'd brought her arms up, trying to either silence me or shush me from voicing my opinion. But I needed to get this off my chest, and she was probably the _only_ one I could confide in.

"And the chief is just as much to blame as the entire council. They _knew_ the Trico had returned, and all they did was make a nightly patrol of the village.

"Ueda!" Lia yelled in the most hushed tone she could muster. I stared up at the sky, hating what I was about to say, but decided to speak my mind anyway. I was already beginning to feel better.

"Yes. Even Ueda. I feel horrible his son was taken. He was _my_ closest friend after all. But this is as much _his_ fault as it is the rest of the council. He, being part of the council, has been _dealing_ with the Trico instead of _doing_ something about them. This maybe could have all been avoidable if they weren't all sitting on their hands."

Lia finally brought both of her hands up, slapping her forehead and covering her eyes in the process. She seemed to shrink in on herself for whatever reason as well. I crooked my neck, staring at her in confusion. Before I could ask, a voice, an adult's voice, came from behind me. Deep and sounding somewhat morose, he spoke.

"You're right, Koma."

* * *

 **-o-**

 **:Ueda:**

 **-o-**

"You're right, Koma."

I said it as if I were admitting to somebody of a murder I had committed, and to an extent that was exactly how it felt. It was a perspective I never thought of. A perspective that somebody far younger than myself could see. It left me feeling hollow, ashamed, and empty. None of what he said was false. It was all factual. I wasn't even angry at what he had said.

What steps had the Chief ever taken to put a stop to the Trico? What had the council ever done, which included me? We were all _shocked_ at the Trico's return after such a long time, though the only steps we took were nothing more than to hopefully avoid one of our own from being taken. No decisions were ever made to bring it all to an end, it was never even brought up as a topic to discuss. Even in the past, years ago when the Trico were last active we, the council and the Chief himself, never came together seeking an end to it, once and for all.

 _It was all true._

As much as it was something I wanted to deny, I couldn't. The proof was all around us, both in the present and in the past. Not even during my own time as a child had steps been taken to put an end to the Trico's assaults other than temporary fixes that never truly _solved_ the problem, but rather _delayed_ their next attack. We really were only _dealing_ with the problem instead of _doing_ something about it. The realization left me feeling physically ill.

Koma turned at the sound of his voice and his reaction would have even been entertaining if not for the truth behind his words. The color seemed to fade from his face, sweat began to form almost immediately on his forehead, and his mouth fell agape, opening and closing wordlessly as if he were a fish out of water. I imagined Lia's reaction at my arrival mirrored his own but couldn't tell with her hands covering her face.

I continued to stare down at Koma, shifting the books and parchment of rolled up paper in my arms to a more comfortable position, waiting for the apology that was sure to come. As expected, once Koma had gathered himself, he looked to the floor and ran his hands through his hair.

"Sir, I didn't—what I meant w-was—"

I shifted the books once more and brought a hand up to stop him from further stumbling over his words. "Your apology is understandable, but not needed." I said.

He looked back to me, confused, before managing to get out a strained, "What?"

I made my way past him and Lia, who was finally beginning to recover, and continued towards the Great Hall. Two pairs of feet began shuffling behind me before Koma appeared on my right, Lia walking beside him, as we made our way up the Hall's steps.

"I didn't mean for it to come out the way that it did though."

I glanced off to my right to see the two staring up at me as we passed through the already opened, large door of the building. "For what it's worth, I accept your apology, but I still can't deny what you said." I answered, making my way to the corner of the Hall to where a table and a large bookshelf was. "After all, you're right, Koma."

I said it this time more for myself than to put the boy at ease attempting to accept a harsh reality that I played a part in that costed me my own child's life.

The Hall was reasonably occupied, several eating, drinking or just trying to escape the sun's heat. Many who were seated had skin tinged with red, showing that the majority had come inside after working outside to fix the Trico's destruction.

"Little has changed in the way we, as you said, _deal_ with the Trico instead of _doing_ something about them." I said, placing the few books on the table that I found to contain information on the Trico, as sparse as it was. I took the first book, titled ' _Myths and Legends_ ' from the pile and briefly glanced at it before deciding to return it to the bookshelf. If I planned to try and convince my peers of my beliefs and findings, bringing a book with _that_ title would likely cause more harm than good.

"Well, why not?" Lia asked. "You're the chief's friend and have a seat on the council. Can't you suggest something _more_ be done instead of more people on patrol?"

I returned the book to the shelf before glancing at the next book titled _'Surrounding Wildlife'_ and slid it aside. It contained much of the same information _'Myths and_ _Legends_ ' contained, but with a more presentable title. In it was mostly speculation, dealing with their potential habitats, speculated eating habits and everything in between.

"I could, but in truth I don't think we know _how_ to handle the Trico, Lia. They're bigger than us, stronger than us, unpredictable and essentially invincible. We've never _killed_ one before, and _that_ would take the effort of the _entire village_. Even then, it could always do what the one from last night did and flee." I answered, sliding the large, rolled up piece of parchment that contained a map of as much of the surrounding are as we knew, including our neighboring villages both near and far.

I instead reached for an untitled book containing several decades of the accounts of Trico raids either occurring in our village or other villages that they were willing to share with us. This, along with the map, would work in tandem with explaining my theory, including the Trico's potential habitats of the earlier book.

It's suggested that the Trico live their lives solitarily with the female raising their young, similar to most mammals. However, decades of recorded incidents suggest otherwise. Different Trico have been proven to attack villages. Never the same one continually revisiting based on the different sizes of their bodies and coloration of their feathers. Oddly enough, despite different Trico arriving and leaving, they're always observed to fly off in a specific direction, which is even mentioned by other village's records.

I couldn't help but think, _what if they're all flying off to a shared home; Honeybees returning to their Nest_... _and their Queen_. Knowing the given direction the Trico fly off to in each village, including our own, could possibly let us triangulate a general area where they're roosting...

"Well," Koma began, shaking me free from my thoughts, "we'd only know for sure if we tried." he said, reaching for the final book and flipping through the pages absentmindedly. A pang of worry sprouted in my stomach at him handing what was _my_ notes on this entire subject regarding my findings.

I outstretched a hand and gestured with my fingers for him to hand it over without appearing too suspicious. Instead, he continued rambling. "That's what my father says at least. ' _The only way to learn is to give yourself the opportunity to fai_ — _'_ "

He suddenly stopped flipping through the pages, going wide eyed. I stepped forward to stare down at him and the book to see him staring at one of my hand drawn pictures; one I specifically didn't want him, or anybody, to see. It depicted the Trico from last night, hunched low as it fled from the village's retaliation, clad in that _armor_.

"Give me that, Koma!" I said, reaching down and plucking the book from his hands like I would a carrot from the ground. I place it back on the table, underneath the other books and turned back to face him. To my surprise, he didn't appear confused by what he saw. Lia wore a similar expression on her face as well, acceptance more than anything.

"You know about the armor too?" Koma asked. My mind took a moment to process that, and only took longer when Lia spoke and they began bickering back and forth.

"Koma! We're not supposed to talk about it!"

"No! That's not true," Koma replied. "We're not supposed to talk about it with anybody that doesn't already know. He had a _picture_ of it for Spirits sake, Lia."

 _'...The armor too...'_

 _'...Not supposed to talk about it...'_

 _'...With anybody that doesn't already know...'_

I tuned the two of them out as they continued going back and fourth until my mind managed to catch up with my mouth. I narrowed my eyes at the two of them. "What do you mean you're not aloud to speak of the armor? And how do you even know about it to begin with?" I asked.

The two went silent at that and turned to face me with a questioning look on their faces. "What do you mean _'What do you_ mean'?" he parroted. "Did he only threaten us with repercussions to keep _us_ quiet?" he asked, turning to Lia.

"Who else knows about the armor?" I demanded. "And who told you to keep silent about it?"

"He hasn't spoken to you yet?" Koma asked before turning back to ask Lia, "I thought you said he was finished with everybody and you were one of the last three left." he said, beginning to sound panicked.

"I never said that was the case." Lia retorted. "I said I thought—"

"Enough! Both of you!" I barked, slapping an open hand against the table to silence them. I bent over, grabbing Koma by the shoulders and asked, "Who knows of the Trico's armor? And who is silencing you about it?"

Koma tensed, seemingly unsure of what to do. He looked to Lia who had chosen to go silent as well before he turned back to face me with a hesitant answer; "Chief Murakumo."

I released his shoulders, turned to grab the necessary books, and began making my way towards the Great Hall's exit. Behind me, I heard one of the two say something about ' _banishment_ ', but the rest fell on deaf ears.

I left the Hall withmore questions than answers, and with only one destination in mind.

* * *

It took little questioning around the village to find where the Chief was stowed away. Multiple villagers had spotted him either paying an assortment of people a visit at _their_ homes, while others observed villagers entering his home without leaving for varying periods of time. He had apparently stopped receiving guests since then, having also stopped making sporadic visits to other home owners.

Instead of taking the direct path to his home I decided on first stopping at my own home, deciding to leave behind the books I chose to keep, along with the single roll of parchment. My original intent behind it was to avoid what happened with Koma and Lia, not wanting to explain myself to anybody that might accidentally see the subject of my books and picture of the armored Trico itself.

In truth, my decision to slightly postpone my meeting with the Chief was to consider and plan just what I was going to say. Just what I planned to ask. In spite of that, my mind was a tangled mess of questions, and the planning never came.

He was _aware_ of the Trico's armor for the majority of the day, which meant he was aware of the ramifications that it imposed. Despite that, despite how personal it all was and how directly it all impacted me, he _chose_ to withhold everything he knew for reasons I couldn't begin to understand.

I felt angry. I felt confused. Yet above all I felt _betrayed_. He had the opportunity to tell me and chose not to. It was _my_ son who had been taken, not somebody else's. I should have been the _first_ to know about this whether or not I was already aware of it.

My legs carried me to the small home of the Chief, a rather plain looking home that was a few buildings from the village's center. Anybody from another village wouldn't give the home a second glance with how simple it looked. Murakumo was many things, but one to brag about his title wasn't among them. He was a Chief, but not in the traditional fashion.

Before long I was standing in front of the door to the building with an outstretched arm and hand a balled in to a tight fist. I struck the door several times without thought and heard the muffled sound of a large man within lumbering towards the door when something struck me, a realization: _I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to tell him_.

The moment I'd finished my thought, the door was pulled open and the large, girthy form of my Chief stood before me. He glanced right over me before crooking his head downward, a friendly smile spread across his face that came with a friendly greeting.

"Ueda! I won't lie. I wasn't expectin' ya, though I'm glad to see ya. What brings you at this hour?"

 _At this_ hour _?_ I glanced behind me to realize the position of the Sun. By no means was it late, but I hadn't realized just how much time I'd waisted questioning the villagers about his location, milling about at my home and on my way over. The sun was still somewhat visible, just beginning to fall behind the tree-line. I realized that the time of day might not have been in reference to the literal time of day but instead the Council Meeting that was soon to be held.

I turned back to him and my mind drew a blank. An assortment of words were stuck at the back of my throat but refused to come out. My mouth opened once and closed, nothing coming out. Murakumo shifted his weight slightly, giving me a, confused look as his friendly smile faded away to be replaced with a sort of concern.

"Ueda...you ok?"

At those words, I found my voice, saying the first thing that came to mind.

"You've known...you knew this entire time and you've said _absolutely_ nothing to me."

The statement was so vague and lacking specifics yet his demeanor changed almost as soon as the words left my mouth. He grimaced a bit before taking a step back and to the side as if offering me entry to his home.

"I think ya need to come inside, Ueda. And keep your voice down." he answered in a hushed tone.

A spark of anger flared up in me at his request. "Why!? Because I'm going to blow all this secrecy out of the—"

"Get in here _now_ , Ueda!" he growled, lurching forward and griping me by my left shoulder as he half dragged me, half tossed me in to his home. I stumbled a few steps before twisting back around to see the Chief closing the door behind him. He let out a sigh once it was closed and tiredly made his way past me to his large desk in the back left corner of his small home.

I followed slowly, glancing around at the interior of his home. It was a simple place; cozy. A small fireplace was situated in the center of the right wall of the building as a small flame flickered, coating the room in a soft orange glow. A bed was behind me against the front right corner wall and all around were his many decorations. A few trophy animals stuffed and hung on the wall. Several shields and metal blades forming a criss-cross pattern behind the shields. A bookshelf here, a table there.

He walked over to his large desk at a lazy pace before seating himself heavily at his desk. Above him, mounted on his wall, was his personal weapon. A blade longer than I was tall. Passed down to him by his father, which was passed down to his father by his grandfather. I recognized it the moment my eyes fell upon it. The _Murakumo_. The blade he swore to wield some day, going as far as to name himself after it when he came of age to select a name himself.

Seated at his desk, he began shuffling the few papers that lay strewn out across it. The only other objects on his desk being a single lit candle, a quill, and ink well. He dipped the feather's tip in the well and began writing. Once I was close enough to the desk I looked down on the piece of paper, my eyes widening.

 _'Ueda'_ was added to a long list of names. Above mine, two names I didn't recognize with ' _Lia'_ above that. At the very top of the list was the name, _'Koma'_.

A sigh escaped the Chief and I brought my gaze up to him. He looked...tired.

"You didn't seem aware of any of this when I visited you at your home. So, _who_ told you and _who_ have you told?"

The confirmation that he was keeping a secret so significant caused my somewhat calm demeanor to crack. "About _what_ exactly? Because I don't know if we're even on the same page or not. Are you talking about the _Trico's armor_? Or is there a whole slew of shit you're keeping from—"

Murakumo stood suddenly, slapping his hands against the desk's top as he leaned over it to stare me down. "Do _not_ be coy with me and do _not_ chastise me, Ueda!" he said, leveling a meaty finger at me. "I am _not_ a common villager to be spoken down to. I am your Chief. Now answer my question."

I grimaced at his reprimand but answered my leader in full nonetheless. "I've told no one, and nobody's necessarily told me. Somebody assumed I was aware of both the Trico's armor and _your_ secrecy surrounding it after one of the kids saw my drawn picture of the beast, clad in armor last night."

Murakumo took a seat, bringing a hand up to run it through his hair in a frustrated manner. " 'One of the kids' ?" He grunted. "Koma, I presume. Damn boy, I'd hoped to scare him in to—wait..." he said, pausing for a moment. "One of _your_ pictures? You've known about these beasts this whole—"

" _I've_ only known of the Trico's Spirits forsaken armor since that _damnable monster_ took MY SON from me last night!" I shouted as a sudden dizziness came over me. Three chairs was set out in front of his desk. I grabbed one, dragging it over to me before I sat down hard on it, leaning forward and resting my elbows on my knees. I brought my hands up to my face to cover it as my vision began to mist over. I would _not_ allow myself to show weakness in front of my friend and Chief.

I breathed deeply, hoping to gather myself when I heard the Chief stand. I paid him no mind as I focused on myself for the moment. "This was all avoidable." I said, mumbling in to my hands loud enough for him to hear. "It _could_ have been stopped. It _should_ have been stopped..."

Several long seconds of silence passed between us, with me simply breathing deeply and him...doing whatever he was doing.

Murakumo let out a sigh, before gently asking "This isn't as much about my secrecy as it is about your son. Is it?"

The question was an innocent one, but I wasn't going to allow him to downplay all this secrecy. I brought my hands away from my face, whiping whatever moisture was left behind before staring him dead in the eyes.

"This is _just as much_ about one as it is the other." I said, avoiding mention of my son. I was doing all I could, all day, to distract myself from the reality of the situation. My son was dead. There was nothing further I could do for him. I could only _avenge_ _him_ at this point. "For _generations_ we've _dealt_ with the Trico instead of _doing_ something about them. And this is all a _perfect_ example of it! Something _big_ is happening with the Trico, and the ramifications could effect every man, woman and child of this village, Murakumo. Maybe even far, far beyond the walls of our home! And you're silencing everybody instead of _acting_ on what we know."

The Chief was still seated across from me. He stood, lifting the chair and brought it around to sit a comfortable distance in front of me.

"What I'm doing _is for the safety of the_ _village_ , Ueda. I don't intend to keep this a secret forever. Only long enough to have a plan to tell the people to avoid widespread panic."

I stared at him, somewhat confused by what he said. "What do you mean?"

He let out a loud snort, shaking his head. "Ueda, you're no fool. I put you on my council because you can see the broader picture of things. Tell me, what does the armor mean? Tell me what _you_ think it means. Because I'm sure you and I have already come to the same conclusion."

I was silent for a few moments, unsure if my friend would even believe my speculation on it all. After a few seconds I decided; I didn't care what he thought one way or another.

"We're at war. It's gone unnoticed for so long, but somebody has to be behind all of the attacks." Murakumo hummed in agreement, encouraging me to go on. "The Trico have no way of armoring themselves. Somebody else has to be armoring them. And a beast like a Trico have no need for armor unless it was for war."

"Exactly, Ueda. And I'm not agreeing with you on this to placate you. You and I have come to the exact same conclusion, which is the same conclusion some of the others who saw the beast from last night came to. Now...tell me this. How will the _entire village_ react when the simple folk learn that animals created by the Spirit of Calamity himself are being armored, controlled, and sent out to attack us."

I didn't have to think. The answer was obvious. "There would be widespread panic."

Murakumo nodded once and stood, beginning to walk circles around me. "The 'person', the ' _individual_ ', is smart, Ueda. But People? As a group? They're stupid. They're prone to panic and overreact. It only takes a few to throw an entire group in to disarray, and that, with what could be on the horizon, is the last thing we need. We need the full cooperation of the village, and maybe ever the cooperation of the others. And for that, this detail of the Trico wearing armor and what it could mean needs to stay with the few that are currently aware of it after last night. Before everybody can know, we have to ensure those who already know that a plan is in place and _we_ are in control, whether or not if that's how it seems."

He stopped his circling to stand in front of me, offering me a hand to stand. I reached out and took it.

"This Council Meeting that I'm holding isn't for the council. It's for all those who have lost a loved one. For all those who have either seen the beast from last night or have heard about it from others before I could contain this information. We are all going to come together tonight to determine how best to bring about an end to this Trico threat, once and for all."

I stood, feeling like a fool. "I'm sorry, Chief. I hadn't thought of that after all that's happened."

He silenced me with a wave of his hand. "Don't apologize, Ueda. I understand. All I ask is that you come to this meeting with an open mind. If you have suggestions, share them. If you know something other's may not, let us all know. Because the truth of all of this is that nobody, not even myself, know how best to handle this situation. We have nothing other than speculation to go on and nothing more."

I mulled over my next words but decided on something; he was right. He was right about a lot of things. None of use truly knew what to do, and that could spell disaster for the village if they knew how powerless we currently were. What we needed was something to increase moral, and there was one thing that could surely do that; blood. It was what the village needed, and it was what I needed.

"I speak on behalf of the entire village when I suggest this, Murakumo."

He looked to me, but said nothing. He instead gestured to me to go on.

"If we need to show the village we're in control of whatever lies ahead, we need to show them, and every village around us one thing."

"And what would that be, Ueda?"

I grinned. This suggestion was true without a doubt, but I'd be lying if it wasn't to satiate my own revenge.

"We need to show everybody that our enemies aren't invincible. That they can bleed like any other animal, and that they can _die_ like any other animal."

* * *

 **Author's Note 2:** _And there you have it! Only two (2) chapters left of this story before it gets put to rest._

* * *

 **:Author's Response to Reviews:**

 **Redwolfless:** _I'm glad you liked that last chapter. Something about it made me unsure how people would respond to it._

 **DaFlameDF:** _Again, I'm glad people enjoyed that last chapter. And thank you! New job is going excellent._

 **Guest:** _I'm glad to hear that! I hope I didn't keep you waiting if you're still keeping up with this story. If you are, I hope you enjoyed Chapter 8._

 **Rinku:** _Urgh, I can't believe it took me 7 months to get that last chapter out. With how many people are reading this story now it made me feel pretty shitty. But Hey! At least this chapter didn't take me 7 months! ...Only took me 4 months...yeaaa…_

 **Bagraiders:** _Now_ your _review brought a smile to my face. I had to Google what a_ 'TV Tropes Page' _was, and to even suggest it made me really happy, like;_ "Gee, maybe I'm not as horrible at writing as I thought." _Not sure how TV Tropes are made, but that would be siiiiick if one existed._

Thank you all for your reviews. Even if you didn't review, and you simply stopped by to read my last chapter, I greatly appreciate it. You're all the reason why this story is still going.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:** _God, I'm finally getting this out. Short author's note here, I'll make it quick._

 _While the number of chapters in this story has now changed, this story will not be any longer than I already intend it to be. I wanted to conclude our character's journey throughout the Nest in a single chapter but quickly realized how insane that would have been. The chapter's have to be broken up, otherwise I'd be looking at editing a 35,000 - 40,000 word chapter — and that ain't happening. If I learned one thing from writing this story its that you don't make a chapter long just because you think it needs to be._

 _Responses to any reviews will be at the bottom._

 _Thank you all who reviewed, it means a lot to me!_

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

 **-o-**

 **::The Nest::**

 **-o-**

 **::The Boy::**

 **-o-**

 **::Late Afternoon::**

 **-o-**

A smile crept over my face as I took in the view of this Valley, of this _'Nest'_. It was hard to believe that this was home to humanity's greatest adversary—Trico.

The Nest, _or what little I was currently exposed to,_ was a place that you'd think could only exist in one's dreams.

Stone buildings and towers that no man could have ever built that reached up and touched the very sky. Animals that I'd only ever seen in my village's books such as 'Myths, Legends, and Wildlife'. An absurdly large wall of stone that looked to possibly circle the entire Nest that made my village's perimeter fence look like a bad joke. Just the environment alone could only be described as sublime; the trees, grass, natural waterfalls and things of that sort. The Nest seemed so natural and organic—completely untouched and pure...and it was somewhat terrifying.

The sheer size of the Valley made me feel small, like a grain of salt in a massive ocean. Even the wall— _which I believed encompassed the Nest's perimeter_ —left me with a feeling of claustrophobia and being truly trapped.

In the end, I was left feeling somewhat grateful towards Toriko for accompanying me. Had I somehow escaped the confines of that dingy cave I originally found myself in...then what? I would have wandered aimlessly, lost, until being found by Toriko himself or, even worse, whoever his friend was that was to accompany us both on whatever journey lay ahead.

This was all hard to believe, almost as hard to believe as Toriko and his Nestfriend leaving me alone for any period of time.

 _...Speaking of which._

I looked to the sky, scanning all that was above and outward in the hopes to see either Toriko or his friend who'd yet to return. The sun in the sky had moved an obvious amount, having been directly above us when we'd exited the cave. It was now, if it having been directly overhead could be considered 'high-noon' had crept a few degrees to West enough to now be considered late afternoon.

I plopped myself on the ground, still keeping an eye on the sky.

 _Where are they_?

* * *

 **-o-**

 **::Some Time Earlier::**

 **-o-**

Has watching somebody pace back and forth ever fill you with a sense of unease and paranoia after they'd done it long enough?

Toriko, for the umpteenth time, took several large steps forward, stopping in the exact same place he had so many times before. He looked to the sky, scanning what he could see before letting out a sigh and grumbling a curse under his breath. He twisted back around, taking several large strides back in the direction he'd just come from and, like before, stopped in the same exact spot.

Look to the sky...

Grumble something under his breath...

Turn and take several paces back where he'd just walked...

Stop, look to the sky...

Rinse and repeat...

I honestly lost track of the number of times he'd repeated the process. The ground beneath his paws, which was once tall, lush grass had become nothing more than loose dirt after having been paced back and forth on so many times. In his defense, I understood why. The other Trico should have long since returned by now.

Toriko, once we were free from the cave, had asked her to take a quick flight around the Valley and plan out a semi-reasonable route for the three of us to take—likely due to the handicap of me being unable to fly.

He'd just turned around to pace back towards me when I felt I finally had to say something for my own sanity.

"Hey, Toriko!" I called to him. "I bet you could carve out a canal if you keep pacing back and forth in the same spot like that."

Toriko paused, stopping in the middle of one of his steps as he glanced down at the ground then behind him to see the damage he'd done to the earth. Sighing, he turned towards me and began walking in my direction.

"This is taking her far longer than it should!" He growled. "She's wasting precious time and even _more precious_ daylight!" His ears then perked, standing straight up before pinning themselves to his head as he narrowed a glare at me. "And stop calling me that _disgraceful_ name, Human. I thought calling you something equally as _vile_ would make you stop, _Wings_!"

At that word—' _Wings_ '—I checked my sides, the word alone causing me to assume the said appendages had somehow come unfurled. To my relief, _and slight confusion_ , they were still neatly against my sides.

"I meant you, Human—Wings. I wasn't literally calling attention to your—"

I laughed, cutting Toriko off mid-rant. "I already told you, Toriko." I replied, causing him to visibly wince at the name. "I don't mind the name. I'm just happy to be called _something_ other than ' _Boy_ ' or ' _Shaman's Son_ '.

He gave a heavy exhale, still continuing towards me before seating himself heavily on his haunches a short distance from me. "Then maybe I should just start calling you one of _those_ instead."

Toriko, finally being seated for the first time in a while, craned his head up to the sky, scanning the skyline, likely waiting for the other Trico's return. I stood, stretching out my front and rear legs which had become stiff with lack of use and padded over to seat myself on his left. I had to crane my neck to stare up at him. The difference in our sizes becoming apparent with my being seated right next to him. I'd grown considerably taller than when I was in my _actual_ human body but still only reached the lower part of the front of his breast.

"What do you think's taking her?" I asked, deciding to try and end the awkward silence and maybe pass the time.

His gaze didn't shift to me at my question, but his ear flickered and mouth twisted in to a slight frown. "I really have no idea. Thank the Sky my Master didn't give my Nestmate and I a deadline to bring you to him. At this rate she's going to make us travel by night by wasting the day's light gallivanting around out there."

I glanced up at the sky, taking note of the sun's position and how much it had moved across the sky.

My mouth quirked sideways in thought as I asked, "What's so bad about traveling at night here? Do dangerous predators come out at night?"

"Pfft...as if.' He replied dismissively. "I could lose one of my two front paws and _still_ have enough talons left over to count the number of creatures out there that would pose a threat to a Servant. Few are stupid enough to cross paths with one of us, and even _fewer_ are suicidal enough to challenge us in our own territory. The entire might of the Nest would be brought down on them." Toriko then averted his eyes from the sky and looked to me. "What I'm worried about is _you_ —" he said, bringing a paw up and jabbing me in the side with it, nearly knocking me off kilter, "—either waltzing off a ledge in the dark or _you_ freezing to death once the sun falls behind the walls of the Valley."

After I corrected myself from nearly being pushed over by Toriko I looked up at him in confusion. "Walking off a ledge or freezing?" I asked. "Neither of those make sense, Toriko. We're in the middle of the hot season. And these eyes can't _possibly_ be bad in the dark."

At the mention of my new eyes I widened them as much as possible; enough so that I could feel the physical strain in doing so. To my shock...Toriko actually laughed at my display. A genuine laugh that he didn't try and hide. It was the first time he'd shown any emotion towards me that wasn't bitter or resentful.

"I suppose you're right. Keep them that wide all the time and maybe even _you_ won't make a mistake like that." His chuckling ceased, giving way to a more serious tone. "However, the cold is an entirely different danger, and a Fledgling-Servant like yourself can't tolerate the cold like a fully mature Servant can."

I gave Toriko a deadpan look, gesturing with a paw at our surroundings. "It's not cold, Toriko…"

"Maybe not in your Human Nests, which this isn't. Look around you, Wings." He said, gesturing with a talon at the _massive_ wall towering over the Valley in the distance. " _That_ wall circles the entire Nest. You're essentially in a _pit_ in the ground. Hot air rises, cold air falls, and the lowest levels of the Nest can actually snap-freeze overnight."

A disbelieving retort was on the tip of my tongue...when I recalled something. A memory that, with how much had happened recently, I'd nearly forgotten.

... _The place where I found that shield..._

"That...does make sense. The room where I found that _shield_ that your friend swallowed was _freezing cold_."

Toriko gave me an approving nod. "Exactly. The lowest levels of the Nest can freeze, and areas of the Nest in the elevation we're at now can get about as cold as where you found the Guardian's Shiel—" Toriko paused, eyes widening as if realizing something.

"What?" I asked.

He said nothing for a few moments, eyes darting back and forth in what I could only guess was deep thought before his eyes trained back on me. "That marks _another_ time you could have died."

My mind drew a complete blank. _What is he talking_ about... "I'm not following, Toriko."

"I must have spit you up earlier this morning. If I'd spat you up during the night you would have died from exposure to the elements in your Human body." Toriko shook his head lightly as if in disbelief before adding in a _very_ hushed tone; " _You have no idea how lucky you are._ "

Despite how silently it was spoken I still managed to hear it, likely due to my new, sensitive ears. My reaction was immediate. "Lucky? Lucky?!" I squeaked. "You call _this_... _lucky_?" I asked, spreading my wings open to gesture to the change my body had undergone. The action caused me to become unbalanced and topple on to my side in to the grass.

Toriko, for the second time ever, let out another genuine laugh. I frowned at him, standing back up and trying— _and failing miserably I might add_ —to shake the dirt and grass from my feathers... _my feathers...I still cant even believe..._

After his small fit of laughter his expression changed to that of a serious, scorning one.

"Even if you're stuck in the body of a Servant you are still _very_ lucky to be alive, Wings." Toriko brought a paw up, ticking off each point with a talon. "You survived being struck with the energy I loosed from my tail—which was meant to _end you_ I might add. You survived nearly drowning once—twice if we count you falling off of my back. You could have died from the cold had I spit you up in the middle of the night while I was unconscious. Sky above, Wings, you've lasted longer than _any_ Human to set foot in this Valley." He said with a loud dismissive snort before adding, "The _only other Human_ to have been regurgitated by a Servant didn't even have the _opportunity_ to _beg_ for his life before he was recaptured and taken to the Master's Spire." Toriko finally broke eye contact with me and began scanning the sky once more, adding; "So be grateful."

A heavy silence fell between us with Toriko looking to the heavens, patiently waiting for his friend's return while I...mulled over what he'd said in my mind. Even if, for the sake of arguing and being difficult, I disagreed with his words it wouldn't change fact—it wouldn't change reality.

 _...I'm still alive. I should have died several times over but I didn't...how?_

The answer was obvious, and even seated on my right.

I glanced up at Toriko— _because he didn't let me...apart from blatantly trying to kill me at the beginning, he's gone above and beyond to keep me safe—him, a_ Trico. _My people's greatest adversary...which I was actually having as casual a conversation with as I would with my friends Koma and_ _Lia_.

The thought of my two friends caused a sick, twisting feeling in the pit of my gut at what I'd lost. My village. My father. My friends...even my body. And all because he'd taken me. A single question wormed its way into my mind. Me, a Human, the first of my kind being able to communicate with a Trico, decided to ask the question that none of my people ever had the opportunity to.

"Toriko?" I began, causing his ear to swivel towards me. When I figured I had his attention, I hesitantly asked, "What's the...why do you do what you do?"

His searching eyes never turned to me, instead asking in a somewhat disinterested tone, "Why do I what?"

"Why do Trico...Servants—" I corrected myself, hoping to not add a layer of confusion to the words ' _Trico and Toriko,'_ "—Why do you _Servants_ take us?"

The question had a noticeable effect on him. The feathers just behind his head puffed up a bit and he, very stiffly, twisted his head downward to stare at me. Something about his gaze unnerved me, and I looked to the ground myself, beginning to paw at the ground nervously. When he said nothing, I continued, still not looking at him.

"None of us—of my people—understand why, and it makes less and less sense if we try to. There's no...you're not using us as food. You Servants don't take us often enough for _that_. And if _that_ isn't the reason...what is?"

 _Still no answer._

I glanced up from drawling little circles in the dirt to see Toriko was staring down at me with an intensity I hadn't ever before. I quickly averted my eyes and went on. "All my people know is that when somebody is taken...they're never seen again...dead...obviously." I finally gathered the courage to look him dead in the eyes and asked. "If you hadn't spit me up—if you hadn't put these _marks_ all over my body—if you hadn't turned me in to _this_ —" I asked, touching a clawed paw to my chest, "—what _would have happened to me_? Was I just going to die like all the others?"

He finally seemed to come out of whatever trance he seemed to have been in, answering with an air of hesitance, "Well...you're not wrong in that we're not _eating you_ … … _this isn't right at all."_

The last part was said, like before, in such a hushed tone that I couldn't have possibly heard it without my new ears.

"What isn't right?" I asked. When he didn't answer I tried again. " … Toriko?"

"This!" he growled using a paw to gesture between the two of us. "You and I conversing; its unnatural. _You_ are essentially my prey. We _shouldn't_ be able to discuss these matters with each other. And the only reason we can right now is because of a _complete_ freak-accident that played out in your favor." He went silent once more, and again, I pushed for an answer.

"Why do you _Servants_ do it, Toriko? C'mon! I'll answer any question you have about Humans if you answer this one."

Staring down at me, he began shaking his head while looking at me as if I were dumb. "Are _all_ Humans as _dense_ as you are? Or is this just exclusive to you, Wings?"

I raised a brow at his question. "Of _all_ the things you could ask me...you ask me—"

"No!" He cut in. "That wasn't my question! You just blatantly answered your own question without even _realizing_ it."

I stared up at him dumbly, not at all understanding what he meant. He scoffed at me. "We do what we do because it is our _purpose_. Its in the very name that we call ourselves. _Servants_. Our purpose is to serve the Master; our Master. If he tells us to jump; we jump. If he tells us to sit; we sit. If he tells us to seek out Human whelps; we do just that. _We serve_."

I let all of what he'd said sink in while I mulled it over. It seemed oddly familiar to the way my Village works. "I...sort of understand. The people of my Village work in a similar way when we come of age and choose a job. The only difference is that we aren't forced in to jobs by our Leader. _We are whatever we choose_...wait." Something he'd said stood out. "Are you saying you're only doing what you're doing because this 'Master' is _making_ you do it? Why is he making—"

"That's enough, Human. There's some things you aren't privy to receive an answer to. And anything pertaining to my Master is one of them." Toriko said sternly, completely shutting me down. "Fine," I pouted. "Now you ask a question, Toriko."

He gave a heavy eyeroll, appearing to not want to play along but going along with it anyway. "Alright, you said you didn't and don't have a name?"

I gave him a single nod.

"Well, why is that?" he asked. "With how eager you were to grant me a name, wouldn't your kind be just as eager to name their offspring?"

I shrugged. "There's...a bit to it." I began, trying to find a way to explain it as simply as possible. "We...believe receiving a name before reaching a certain age will get the unwanted attention of one of our Seven Spirits and bring us bad luck. So we don't receive a name until we're old enough."

Toriko's muzzle contorted like he'd eaten something sour before twisting in to a grin. He chirped out a laugh and used a paw to gesture at me, _all_ of me. "That is _incredibly_ stupid. What do you call _all of what's happened to_ you?"

My mind drew a blank before the perfect retort came to mind. "Well, if what you said before is true—aren't I _lucky_?" His laughing came to a screeching halt at what I thought was a well-made point by me. Instead, he craned his head upward, and his ears began swiveling about like he'd heard something before they were pinned against his head with a groan. I followed his line of sight, and brightened at what I saw flying above the Nest's large walls, passing overhead.

"Is that her?" I asked, but quickly realized it wasn't. My new, keen eyes picked up the fine details of the animal as it flew overhead. A hawk-like beak in place of a muzzle, with a sleek head and body built for speed. It's front legs were also hawk-like in nature— _similar to a Trico's_ —with it's hind paws being just that— _paws_. I stood abruptly, taking several steps forward as if those few steps would help me see the animal any more clearly.

"Is that a Griffon?!" I half yelled, half asked my audience of one in glee. Behind me I heard Toriko growl before laying himself down on the ground.

"What it _isn't_ is my Nestmate." he hissed through clenched...gums? _That was another thing I have to ask. Why don't they have teeth?_

I watched as the Griffon flew high overhead, letting out an avian screech as it flew off. Behind me Toriko made a hacking sound as if the sight alone of it was making him sick.

"You don't like them?" I asked, twisting around to see Toriko. The way he was looking at me would have been enough of an answer.

"No. They're disgusting, arrogant and—"

"—Can talk?" I asked in giddiness, cutting him off and now wondering if all animals could talk similar to how Toriko could.

"Unfortunately. Not that you'd want to talk to one of them." he said. His two damaged horns atop his head appeared to pulse a vivid cyan momentarily while he maintained eye contact with me before, as if he were some sort of a mind reader, added, "And no. Not everything can speak as we can. Typically predators can only speak to predators; and some prey animals can speak to us as well."

I looked at him in slight wonder having been able to guess exactly what I had been thinking but decided to ask another time when I saw him, again, look to the sky. Obviously waiting for the other Tri—Servant. I decided to finally breach _that_ subject; offhandedly deciding to poke fun at him as well. I trotted over to seat myself on my haunches next to his left flank. I grinned mischievously, already knowing that asking _this_ question, _or at least how I planned to word it_ , was going to get a rise out of him. Despite that, I didn't feel any _serious_ consequences would come of it. He hadn't hurt me yet after all.

"If you're so worried about your _Mate_ , why don't you just go out and— _HURGG_!" I didn't even manage to finish my sentence before something as thick as a tree trunk was dropped across my upper back, horizontally across my shoulder blades as I was flattened against the ground. Unsure of what had just happened, I began frantically scrabbling at the ground, trying and _failing_ to drag myself out from under whatever had fallen on me.

"I told you, Wings. She is _not_ my _mate_!" Toriko hissed, sounding more irritated than angry. I twisted my neck around to see the object that had fallen on me was the full weight of his large tail. I let out a loud laugh, reveling in his annoyance.

"If you're so worried about her—" I asked, managing to free my upper body from his tail, "—why not go out and find her." Before he could answer, I quickly added, "AndifyourSisterwasyourmate, whatwouldyoucallherthen?" The long, rapidly asked question came out as an almost unintelligible sound. However, when Toriko readjusted his tail to fall across my shoulder blades once more, it was made _very_ _clear_ that he understood.

"And what? Leave you behind?" Toriko barked out a laugh. "Don't try and humor me. I wouldn't risk leaving you behind after managing to get you out of that cave."

Despite my struggling, he was actually making an effort to keep me pinned to the ground after squeaking in that little question. Realizing I wasn't going to pull myself free by normal means, I decided on doing the second best thing I could think of. With my new neck's superior flexibility, I twisted my head to face behind me like an owl, opened my mouth, and bit down on whatever part of Toriko's tail I could reach like a piranha.

Toriko yelped as if he were a dog who's tail had been stepped on. He whirled on me looking far, far more _shocked_ that I'd actually bit him. I stood, shaking myself off while he brought his tail in close to his face examine it. "You little cretin! You actually _bit_ me?!"

I fell on to my side in laughter. "Oh c'mon, Toriko. It was just a little _nip_. A _nip_!" I expected Toriko to be glaring daggers at me, but instead his muzzle was twisted in to more of a grin than a grimace. I righted myself as my laughter petered off. "In all seriousness though: why not just go and find her?"

"And what? Leave you here? You'll—"

"Stay put and not move from this spot." I countered before he could go on, going as far as to seat myself heavily on the ground to make a point. He stared back at me suspiciously, not saying a word.

"Look, Toriko—" I began, taking up a serious tone, "—The other Tri—Servant said that this ' _Master_ ' of yours might be able to put me back in my own body. If that's the case then I want to be sitting and waiting here for her about as much as you do."

His features stiffened at bit at the mention of his 'Master' before my words seemed to reach him as he appeared to be mulling them over in his head. He finally straightened, looking to the sky before turning his attention back to me. "You'll stay put—right there—until I return?"

* * *

 **-o-**

 **::Wings::**

 **-o-**

 **::Late Afternoon::**

 **-o-**

For the umpteenth time, I took several steps forward, stopping in the exact same place I had so many times before. I looked to the sky, scanning what I could see before letting out a sigh and grumbling a curse under my breath. Twisting back around, I took several steps back in the direction I'd just come from and, like before, stopped in the same exact spot.

Look to the sky...

Grumble something under my breath...

Turn and take several paces back where I'd just come from...

Stop, look to the sky...

Rinse and repeat...

I looked down at the ground beneath my paws. _Wow...I might carve out a canal if I keep this up_ , I thought. I was beginning to understand just how impatient Toriko was becoming earlier.

It was still hard to believe that he left me alone for any period of time. With how paranoid he was, and how paranoid he'd been this entire time, I figured he would have returned as quickly as he had left.

I seated myself on my haunches, giving my legs a chance to rest and glanced up at this 'Master's Spire', feeling like it was as out of reach as my Village was. Apart from the many bridges that looked to connect to it, I couldn't see any way of getting up there. Not from the small plot of land I was standing on. As I continued staring up at the Spire's peak, something...peeked over the side of it. One head, followed by another as they swiveled back and forth like a vulture looking for a meal. Suddenly the two figures launched themselves from the top of the tower, falling from the sky like a stone before they both simultaneously spread their wings, catching the air and sailing down towards me at a steady pace on the wind.

It was him, and her. Finally, after a grueling wait, we were finally going to get a move on. I kept myself seated at their approach, keeping in mind the promise I made that I wouldn't move from where he'd left me. As they approached, I could start to make out their voices...apparently arguing with each other?

They both landed simultaneously, with Toriko slamming his full weight in to the ground upon landing and...her landing daintily. He seemed … angry.

"You're not convincing me of this, Sister. It's _not_ happening!"

* * *

 **-o-**

 **::Toriko::**

 **-o-**

My landing, in comparison to my Nestmate's, was that of a sloppy one do to a mixture of fatigue, aggravation, and exasperation. To think— _to think_ —she was atop the Master's Spire this entire time having a casual conversation with him. Despite my prodding, she only relinquished some of what she and my Master had spoken about, telling me the rest was irrelevant to the journey ahead.

I landed, turning to her and stated firmly: "The risk is too great and it's _my head_ on the line. Not yours!" Her only reply was a headshake and a scowl at my refusal.

"You found her?" came the small voice of whom the discussion between my Sister and I was about. I turned to Wings, my features softening a bit as I replied.

I gave him a heavy eye roll. "Yes. I found her having a casual discussion with our Master—" I quickly turned to her with a glare before returning my gaze back to Wings, "—as if _time_ wasn't of the essence."

She let out a low, almost inaudible growl towards me. "You're one to talk, Brother. If delivering him to the Master is as time sensitive as you're making it out to be, then teaching him would save us time and _a world_ of trouble."

"Teaching me what?" Wings asked. I glanced down at him, taking in the ground beneath him that had clearly been padded over many times over.

"She—" I said, crooking my neck to gesture towards her, "—wants to throw you off a ledge."

He reacted just how I expected him to; ears flopping sideways as he took a few steps away from us, but more to distance himself from her than myself.

"I _did not_ suggest that, Brother!" my Nestmate retorted. "Teaching him to fly would save us both _time_ and a _difficult_ journey. Difficult enough that even the Master suggested we bring him to his lower quarters instead of the top of his Spire."

Wings' ears perked up a bit at hearing what she'd mentioned. "Teach me to … to fly?" He asked.

"Yes." I answered, turning to my Nestmate and adding; "Which would involve throwing you from a cliff." When I turned back to Wings he was staring at me like I'd grown two heads and turned in to a Cerberus. I decided to beat him to the punch and answer the question I knew was about to come.

"We teach fledgling Servants to fly by dropping them from somewhere high off the ground; one of the Nest's large towers or from one of the many cliffs. However, young Servants are _significantly_ smaller and lighter than you are when we teach them to fly—giving us adults the opportunity to swoop in and catch them if they fail to fly the first time." I turned, this time speaking more to my Nestmate than to Wings. "If he doesn't figure it out the first time, he's dead. Which means _I'm dead_. It's not happening."

My Nestmate grumbled something under her breath, hopefully seeing sense and dropping the subject entirely while I padded over towards my charge. I looked down at him and glanced at the ground on each sides of him where most of the lush grass had been trampled upon, giving way to a loose soil. "If I took any longer you would have carved out a canal in the ground with how much pacing back and forth you've been doing."

He glanced down at the ground before looking up at me with a wry grin.

"Now then." I said, turning towards the right and moving forward towards the large ravine where several large pillars seemed to reach out of the misty abyss below. Wings trotted over to stand beside me while my Nestmate took wing and flew across to land on the other side, just out of our line of sight. He glanced across the chasm, inching towards the ledge while still keeping a healthy distance away from it. He glanced up at me.

"Um … Toriko? How do you expect me to get across this?" he asked warily, brow raised.

"Like this—" I answered, quickly leaning forward and plucking him off the ground by the scruff of his feathers. I was expecting him to fight me when I snatched him up but all he did was go rigid with fear, which didn't go unnoticed by me. I internally groaned at what I was about to add while he dangled from my jowls.

"You're going to have to … _trust me_ on this, Wings." I said, berating myself for requesting he trust me at all. "I already mentioned before; _my safety_ depends on _your safety_."

When no answer came, I glanced out of the corner of my eye to realize why.

 _Oops …_

With how close to the edge I had been when I grabbed him, Wings was currently being hung over the ledge from my mouth without my realizing it. I took several steps back and he seemed to loosen up a bit before replying, "I … I don't like this, Toriko … but I trust you …"

I stepped up to the ledge, hanging him over it, and began swaying lightly back and forth as he rocked to and fro in my grasp. He immediately went ridged with fear once more. "What are you doing?" he asked shakily.

"Getting a feel for the added weight." I answered. "I need my balance right now more than I ever have in my life. And don't be so stiff. I don't need you working against me here." He didn't answer, but his body slowly went limp in my grasp. I was still worried he'd stiffen up, throwing me off balance, so I added: "Close your eyes and … ask me something you'd like to know, anything, to keep your mind occupied.

I moved as close to the ledge as I could, aiming myself directly at the first pillar as I prepared to leap. Wings must have sensed it, but instead of going rigid he only began to slightly shiver in fear. "Ask me something." I requested, glancing at him with my left eye. The way that I had hold of him, he was horizontal in front of me, his head pointing to the left and his tail and rear towards the right. I could see that he had his eyes squinted tightly shut.

"Um … er … wh-why don't—" I jumped, he let out a sort of squeak when I landed atop the first four pillars, swaying slightly before immediately leaping for the next, "—why don't Servants have _teeth_?"

Landing on the second, I answered "Have you ever seen an avian with teeth?" before jumping to the third which, upon my landing, began to crumble beneath me; listing forward. I thought fast, realizing that the next pillar may be out of reach decided to let it collapse in the direction of my next point of landing.

Wings croaked out a "no," when I landed atop the final pillar, jumping down to the rocky platform where my Nestmate was waiting and answered: "We preen our feathers just as other feathered creatures do. Imagine how many feathers we'd tear out if we had teeth … and you can open you eyes now, Wings." He did so, just in time to see the prior pillar crumble away, disappearing into the abyss below, and let out a weary sigh. Ahead of us, my fellow Servant leapt down to the underside of the large stone dwelling with myself and Wings close behind. Once we had landed I set him down, glancing over him to see his wings had come unfurled.

"I guess that makes sense," he said while the two of us walked side by side behind my Nestmate, up a small fleet of stairs before hanging a sharp right. His ears seemed to perk as he looked to his unfurled wings, slowly returning them to his side without my having to remind him. "With how beaten mine are, would I have had to preen them if you and the other Servant decided to teach me to fly?"

 _I hadn't thought of that. One more reason why teaching him how to use his wings was out of the question … either I would have had to do it or my companion would have had to._

"Yes, but don't worry about it." I said, looking at a large wall before us with two small archways creating make-shift entrances. "We're not teaching you to fly so get use to walking for now." Wings made to continue forward through the small archways, ready to separate himself from our small group when my Nestmate brought a paw down on his tail, just before he could make it through to the other side.

"Where do you think you're going, Human?" She asked scornfully. He spun about when her paw made contact with his tail before he made an effort to pull himself free. She turned to face me looking at me somewhat expectedly.

"Hold on, Wings." I said, lowering my stomach to the floor and stuffing my head into the entryway. The room within was a large one, sparse of much of anything. To my left, on the other side of the wall, Wings let out a laugh, raising a paw and pointing with a talon at how my head was stuffed through the archway. I let out a snort before wrenching myself free and returning to my full height. I sighed, looking up at the wall. Blowing it apart was an option, but not one I really wanted to consider. I lowered myself back down to glance at Wings through the opening.

"Look around and see if there's a way for the two of us to get through. I'm not risking blowing this wall apart and causing a collapse." I looked to my fellow Servant before saying: "Let him go."

She begrudgingly removed her paw from his tail, glaring at me from the corner of her eye, but not turning to face me.

"What?" I asked, but only got a snort from her in reply as Wings trotted off, head twisting about in many directions as if impressed by the scale of the room. He disappeared around a corner before poking his head back around it.

"There's a thin wall with light shining through it up these stairs!" He called out. "I think it leads to that place where we jumped down below to get into this building! If you could get through it I think you could get in here with me!"

I internally groaned, having just decided _against_ blowing anything up. "Stay there!" I called back. "And stay away from that wall!" I turned towards my Nestmate and gestured with my head for her to follow. She did so as we began to backtracked side by side, occasionally shooting me venomous— _and somewhat suspicious_ —glares. They didn't go unnoticed by me, and I wasn't sure if she was making an effort to hide them.

We returned to the earlier room and, sure enough, found a wall a floor above where we'd just come from that appeared to be decrepit and falling apart. My Nestmate saw it too and brought her tail up, preparing to loose an arc of energy from it when I rounded in front of her, obstructing her view.

"What is it, Sister? Your glaring hasn't gone unnoticed." The crackling energy at the jewel of her tail dissipated, and she leveled me with an accusatory stare.

"You're allowing our captive to freely roam the Master's Nest suddenly? We're supposed to be escorting him at all times, Brother. What if he were to run off and escape right now?" she asked.

I looked to her as if I'd swallowed something foul. " _'Run off and_ _escape'?_ " I asked, unconvinced. "He's not going anywhere. Not after you—" I said, bringing a paw up and jabbing her in the breast with it, "—told him that our Master could return him to his original body. Which, thank you for that, now he's convinced that's _just what_ our Master is going to do."

She returned my stare with one of her own. "Does it matter? Even if the Master could, what do you think he's going to do? Put him back in his body and send him back to his Human Nest?" She leaned in close as if to whisper something between us for no other to hear. "You and I know how this is going to end for that creature. The Master is only having us bring him to him to satiate his curiosity." She moved me aside with a paw and brought her tail back up, letting energy crackle across the jewel of her tail. Just before the bolt was released, she added; "He's going to die when this is all said and done."

The energy was released, and instead of a single continual stream of focused energy it was release in three separate orbs of volatile power. The three orbs struck three separate points instantaneously, and the wall was suddenly nothing but shavings and splinters. Before I could think to respond she launched herself up to the platform above, disappearing through the entrance she'd just made. I followed suit, leaping up to the ledge which, _just as Wings had said_ , lead to a flight of stairs that went downward. At the base of the stairs, peeking around a corner, stood Wings; doing just as I had asked and keeping a healthy distance away from the wall my Nestmate had destroyed.

I trotted down the stairs with my companion ahead of me when we entered the large room we first thought inaccessible to the two of us. We glanced around— _Wings appearing to be more interested in sight-seeing than looking for an exit_ —when I glanced upward, directly across from where we'd just come from. High above was a large opening that appeared to lead elsewhere. My Nestmate saw it first, pointing it out before she turned her attention to Wings.

Without warning she leaned down, lifting him up and positioned herself to make the leap upward. I caught a quick glance at Wings before she launched herself to the platform above. He appeared somewhat uncomfortable at being carried by someone other than myself; an almost _pleading_ look on his face when he looked to me just before vanishing in a blur of grey and black feathers as the two of them disappeared over the ledge's top. I was quick to follow, reaching the top alongside my Nestmate and Wings, the former carelessly dropping him at her fullest height.

Wings landed hard, wincing on impact before shooting a glare up at her. "You could be a little more gentle, Trico!" he yelled at her. "I'm not like a big cat that will always land on all four!" He said this while shaking either the pain from his front paws or feeling back to them.

She marched forward to what appeared to be another wall of debris and, like before, brought her tail up to clear another path. "Be quiet, Human. My Brother survived falling from the height of the Nest to the ground below with little to show for it. So quit your complaining."

The blockade was blown apart, giving way to the much needed fresh air and greenery of the outside world where she continued through. I padded forward to Wings who was now shaking the feeling back to his hind legs. I literally walked overtop of him— _not on-top of him, of course_ —and craned my head down to stare at him between my front legs.

He glanced up at me. "What's wrong with her?" he asked. "She wasn't like this earlier. Maybe a little … curious … but not like _this_." I watched her as she disappeared to the outside world, narrowing my eyes in suspicion.

"I don't know. Maybe she was thinking this would be as simple as teaching you to fly and the three of us flying up to the Master's Spire. Just let it go for now," I said before adding, more to myself than to the conversation, "… _Females_ …"

I continued forward with Wings, exiting what appeared to be another small cavern that led to a lush, overgrown area consisting of tall grass, green trees, and a variety of small wildlife from small bugs and butterflies to slightly larger lizards that scurried away at our approach. Ahead I could see the literal tail-end of my Nestmate as she hung a right and disappeared around a corner.

Beside me, Wings was somehow managing to keep pace with me inspite of the many distractions and sensory-overload he was experiencing. His steps suddenly stopped and I turned to face behind me to see a brightly colored butterfly had landed on the tip of his snout, causing him to go cross-eyed and wings to unfurl as he stared at it. I let out a laugh, shaking him from his stupor. "Fix your wings, Wings."

He jerked his head to the side— _the butterfly never removing itself from its perch_ —as he corrected them. He continued forward at a softer pace as if he were trying to not disturb his small tag-along. "Toriko," he asked, "Why do you Servants hate Humans? I mean, it's obvious _she_ doesn't like us. And I already know _you_ don't like us either." The insect on his nose began crawling around, enticing a sneeze from him and finally causing it to flutter away. "But why? I'll openly admit that Humans don't like Tri—er, Servants. But you can't really blame us for that."

I quirked my mouth sideways in thought and soon realized I really didn't have an answer to the question. We rounded the corner my Nestmate had and was now able to see her standing a distance away, looking up at a clear gap in a rather tall wall. The tip of her tail was waving back and forth in clear annoyance.

"I … honestly don't know." I answered, receiving an unconvinced deadpan from him. I shrugged. "Really, I don't."

"Well, there has to be some kind of a reason. You can't hate something for the sake of hating it. There's always a _reason_ for it. Envy, jealousy, betrayal, mistrust. There's always a reason, even if somebody doesn't want to admit it."

Again, I shrugged. "I don't know, Wings. If there is a reason we don't like Humans then it happened so long ago that no Servant is alive to remember it."

Once we reached my companion she gestured to the top of the large wall where a clear entrance to the other side was. She turned, taking a single step towards Wings when I realized just what she was preparing. Before she could snatch him up, I did just that, this time Wings squirming a bit in protest at how suddenly and jerkily I'd done it.

"Cut it out, Wings. Unless you'd like _her_ to carry you again."

 _That_ made him stop right quick with him squeaking out an audible, "Oh, Spirits _no_!" My Nestmate, for some reason, gave me an approving nod.

I laughed, crouching low and quickly reminding him to not tense up when I leapt to the large opening above. Offhandedly I reminded myself to ask about that word he kept using; " _'Sp—erits'_ " or whatever he had called it.

I jumped to the ledge above and encountered no issues upon landing on the other side. My Nestmate landed beside me and what laid before us was— _can you believe it_ —another large stone structure for us to enter like before!

 _Oh joy!_

I set Wings down and the three of us made our way inside, forming a line due to how narrow the hallways were. I cut around one final corner to, to my surprise, came across something I hadn't been expecting to.

 _… A Telepathy Room?_

My Nestmate took notice of it as well, squeezing herself past me, causing me to be squashed up against the right-side wall. Once free, she hopped down in to the center of the room. I picked Wings up once more and leapt down as well before setting him down once again.

Down below, now standing in the center of the Telepathy Room, Wings padded forward to a small caged which housed the Master's speaking crystal. He then, being as overly curious as he was, pressed his muzzle up against the cage to stare at the crystal within, asking in a small voice "What is that thing?"

I placed a paw in between him and the cage, pushing him backwards a safe distance away from the crystal. The _last_ thing I wanted was for him to inadvertently commune with the Master. Something told me that it wouldn't bode well for either him or myself if he were to. The action was a pointless one however, for when I had distanced Wings from the cage, my Nestmate approached from the left and had her face now pressed against it in his place. Her horns then began glowing a dim cyan as if she were connecting to the Master.

 _What is she doing?_

I let out an annoyed sigh at my companion's antics and decided to give Wings the abridged version of the crystal's use.

"Put simply; the crystal allows us to commune with the Master and he to commune with us." Had I been more aware I would have picked up on the small footfalls behind me that signified that the small Servant was moving away from my Nestmate and I in a separate direction entirely. "Not only that, but the Knights— _OOF!—"_

My explanation got me a slap across the muzzle from my Nestmate before she turned her glare on me. "That creature _does not_ need to know the inner workings of the Valley!"

I brought a paw up to rub at my nose where she'd had lightly struck me and growled. "What does it matter? It's not like _he_ —" I turned my gaze downward and slightly to my right where I expected Wings to be patiently standing, only to find the space void of a particular Human-turned Servant.

 _Where'd he_ go?

At that, I twisted my head from left and right— _even checking underneath me_ —but found nothing. From my left came a sharp gasp. Turning towards the sound I found that she was staring at something behind us, wide eyed. I turned about and my blood ran cold at the sight.

On the other side of the room, across a small metal bridge, was Wings. His markings adorning his feathers glowing a vibrant neon-white. Surrounding him on all sides were a dozen knights; hands all clasped together and releasing incantations that resonated with the Master's Mark. Wings stood stock still, frozen and lethargic in the moment, only becoming more so with each passing moment the incantations welded themselves to his body. Still he stood, unmoving—fighting against the runes working to completely immobilize and blind him.

Finally, as if the Knights having finally realized that the incantations were failing to work, turned to a more _permanent_ solution. First, one Knight raised a spear and lobbed it forward, finding its mark with a pained whine coming from Wings … followed by the remaining Knights either throwing their spears and finding their mark with several more pained whines, or positioning them behind them in preparation to be thrown.

…

Wings collapsed to the ground in a pile of blood-tinged feathers after four spears had found their mark.

…

I snapped …

* * *

 **-o-**

 **::Wings::**

 **-o-**

 **::Early Dusk::**

 **-o-**

— _BBWWOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGG_ —

The sound, an oddly similar tone to the one I'd heard when that … _Master_ had first sounded that _horn_ of sorts was loud enough to wake the dead.

My eyes blearily cracked open to be staring up at the twilight sky, blanketed by a rich plethora of colors ranging from fiery orange, to dark pink, to an even darker purple. Laying in front of my eyes was a paw—my paw—looking somewhat different. Those black runes that I knew adorned most of my feathered body were the exact opposite of 'black'. They looked like an incredibly faded white, slowly returning back to their solid black color. Or at least that's what I _thought_ I was seeing. The very marks that appeared to on my body seemed to be floating across my vision, partially blinding me.

I woke, not even remembering when in the name of the Seven Spirits I'd even fallen asleep. There was an odd, almost foreign stiffness about my body that felt … numb. Like I'd soaked in freezing water for too long only to have even my nerves shut down. It felt like a feat of strength to even open my eyes and roll them around in my head.

Beside me, in a somewhat surprised tone, came the familiar voice of Toriko sounding like he was in the middle of a conversation with somebody.

"He's summoning Servants for another hunt? So soon after already sending us out just the night prior?"

I tried to roll myself over, or even to move my head so that I could more easily face him. My throat felt dry, parched as if I hadn't drank anything in ages … which was true, even before all of this.

"Well what do you expect, Brother?! Think of what you did earlier! He's doing this _entirely_ because of what _you've_ done." Came another familiar voice—the voice from Toriko's friend.

 _What in the world is going_ on?

Trying to move only yielded failure so, not exactly caring, decided on _brute forcing_ myself to move. I tightened whatever muscles in my new body I could and managed to twist half of my upper body on to my two front paws … and _immediately_ regretted it.

There was a hissing, pained growl that I didn't immediately realize came from me until I crumbled back on to the ground in agony. Right after my collapse came the feint scent of something metallic—blood?. My two shoulders, chest, and left side _screamed_ in protest at having been violently twisted sideways in an attempt to stand upright. Something gasped outside of my peripherals when a large paw was brought down, pinning me to the ground in a manner not to harm me, but instead to restrain me. Unsurprisingly, I panicked all the more, writhing on the ground under whoever had me pinned.

"Wings! Wings, relax! You're going to open those puncture wounds by thrashing about!" came Toriko's voice from out of my field of vision. I went still at having heard him, causing me to suddenly have more questions than answers.

 _Where are we? What happened? What 'puncture wounds'? Why am I so sore? Why am I bleeding?!_

 _"_ What happened?" I decided to ask, hoping that simple question would explain the rest. The paw was removed from my body, and the sound of two large bodies walking around me could be heard before Toriko and his companion appeared in front of me. Toriko opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the other Servant.

" _You_ wandered off and got yourself attacked, you stupid Human! This is exactly why the Master ordered the two of us to escort you to him and _not_ for you to go off and sight-see!"

I— _very gingerly_ —pressed myself up and brought my hind legs underneath me to a seated position. I glanced over my body to see, just as I'd smelled earlier, my feathers faintly painted over with a fair amount of red, but nothing that seemed life threatening. The rest of my body's markings were also a similar color to the symbols on my upper leg that I'd seen—a noticeable faded white as if some sort of energy was beginning to fade from them.

I looked past Toriko's irate Nestmate and to him instead, hoping to get some sort of solid answer. He must have understood the unspoken words.

"You don't remember?" He asked.

I shook my head, partly to answer his question and partially to try and clear the strange, white letters and shapes that would occasionally dance across my vision.

Toriko shook his head at me and snorted. "As my Nestmate said; you wandered off and came across the Master's Knights … which didn't know what to make of a Servant dawning the Master's Mark. They reacted to your … size and the symbols adorning your body with … well, _force_."

It was then that a few flakes of images sprang up to form a half cohesive memory.

 _Toriko explaining about some sort of crystal. Me seeing something—another Human—at the end of a long hallway. Going over to see him … only to realize 'him' was an 'it' and there were many, many more of them appearing to be asleep, standing against the left and right walls. The 'Knights' shooting runes at me … then … nothing else._

He had mentioned them to me. Some time ago, right after he'd changed me; he mentioned them and I could even recall his words;

 _'You're already branded with the Master's Mark, which means you'd be hunted down indefinitely. Either by myself,_ other Servants _, or by the_ Master's Knights _—'_

I looked up to the two Servants frowning in disappointment at myself. I'd been warned; I should have listened.

"What happened after that?" I asked. "Did they just … go away?"

"No. He—" she jerked her head towards Toriko, "—destroyed whatever Knights began attacking you. It was _I_ that picked your lifeless body up and escaped with you to here. You've been unconscious until just waking up now."

I looked around at where I was now. I was clearly in a new area; outside rather than inside a large, stone building. It was the most wide-open area of the Nest I'd seen yet. A large, and very shallow body of water was just off to my left with crumbled pillars of stone scattered about the landscape. In the distance looked like a plain, wooden staircase that could be used by a Human … or knight that lead who knows where. High over head were tall pillars of stone that looked like something could perch atop it. And a fair distance off to the right was … another entrance to another stone building. _Hurray!_

I looked up to Toriko's friend with a grateful smile, thanking her for having intervened and gotten me away from those Knights, even though my memory of the events were cloudy at best.

Her reply was an angry hiss. "Don't thank me, Human! I'm beginning to understand why my Nestmate described you so _colorfully_ when he first told me of you. You're more trouble than you're worth!" She then turned to Toriko. "And you, Brother—" she said, bringing her tail around to wrap it around his neck, lightly tugging him away, "we need to talk. _In private_."

He seemed hesitant to leave, glancing at me and then to her. She picked up on what he wasn't saying.

" _He_ will be fine. The paralyzing effects of the marks are still wearing off, so he's not going anywhere." She then narrowed her eyes at me and added, "And if he's _stupid_ enough to wander off after _what just happened_ , than explaining to the Master that he killed _himself_ shouldn't be too hard. The Masters already aware of what happened after all."

With that, she began dragging Toriko off to the right before entering the large stone building, disappearing inside of it. Now that I was alone I realized just how thirsty I was and turned towards the shallow pool of water. I stared in to it, at my reflection before drinking from it. I looked ... rough, and what stared back at me made my head spin. It was the first time I could see myself for what I had become. A Trico.

I dipped my muzzle into the water and began drinking deeply when a sound—like something landing heavily atop something—caused my left ear to flicker. I pulled my muzzle from the water and quirked my head sideways in thought at hearing what I had. The sound suddenly occurred two more times, sounding just like it had—like a large body landing on something.

I stared down in to the shallow body of water, looking at the reflection of what was behind me. It looked as if something was perched above me on the pillars behind me, high up towering over the wide-open area I was in. The reflection was blurred however, broken up by the ripples I'd created while drinking from it. I decided to turn my gaze upward and behind me to whatever I'd seen behind me.

…

My heart, for all of a moment, stopped and my entire body froze in fear. My stomach twisted itself in to a knot when I saw what it was and all my rationality flew out the metaphorical window.

Atop the pillars there perched three armored figures. Each dawning armor I'd seen Toriko wearing when the two of us had woken in that cave. Their eyes were the most prominent thing in the slowly darkening sky, flickering from a crimson red to a cyan blue which was visible even from their distance away. With my newly sensitive ears I picked up on some sort of conversation the three were having, but couldn't discern just _what_ they were saying.

The armored Trico in the center turned to each of the two on either side of him, flicking his head in a gesture that implied he was dismissing them. They followed suit, speading their wings and appearing to fly off in the direction of the large, White Spire that Toriko had mentioned so many times. The remaining Trico watched them as they went before craning its head back down to face me, hunched over like a vulture considering a kill.

Finally, it leapt from the pillar high above, plummeting down towards me. Halfway through its fall the armored Trico flared its wings, slamming its full weight in to the ground some distance away. It began to prowl towards me while letting out a cold, hissing growl that could freeze blood and rot the bark off a tree.

The entire time I stared at the creature that looked exactly the same as Toriko when he'd taken me from my home. I internally screamed at myself to _move_ , to run, _to do anything but stand here_. But my legs were fastened to the ground.

In a low, venomous tone the Trico spoke.

"A small Servant, bearing the mark of a once captive Human." he growled. I finally found my legs, beginning to frantically scurry away from him— _it was definitely a 'him'—_ while I let out a heavy exhale at a breath I found I'd been holding in.

"You bare the Master's Mark, creature. Something only a _Human_ can be branded with. What are you if not a wolf in sheep's skin?" he asked before immediately breaking out in to a sprint, eyes never leaving my own.

I turned, finally finding either the strength or fear to run and at the same time finding my voice as well. I shouted the first name to come to my mind, and likely the only one I thought that would care—

"—Toriko! Toriko, _HELP_!"

* * *

 **Author's Note II:** _Finally out of that cave and moving about the Nest. Thank God. Not sure exactly how many chapters remain at this point, but I know this: This story should be done before the year is up._

 **Author's Response To Reviews:**

 **DaFlameDF:** _I always wondered that too. Actually, this story exists because of small things like that that didn't make much sense. Thank you for your review._

 **Stargazing Writer:** _Gaah! I'm sorry about that. Yes, they spent WAAY too much time in the starting area. A 'new-writer' mistake on my part, but hey! We're finally free from that cave! Thank you for your review, and reviews from previous chapters._

 **Bagraiders:** _I'm so happy that I haven't disappointed with any chapter so far. I get the worst anxiety when I put a new chapter out thinking that it'll be a disappointment after everybody waited so long for it. I hope this chapter didn't disappoint, and thank you for your review!_

 _And on a sidenote_ **Bagraiders** _, I'll be blow away if you can somehow predict what will happen in these upcoming chapters, much less the final chapter =P_


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